Anyone who has seen Alex’s amazing KZfaq knows that he always says yes to adventures! If something scares him, he follows Bond’s example and overcomes his fear by going and doing it. But as a child, he was not so confident.
Alex has battled anxiety his whole life. He recognises that this is, in part, rooted in something James Bond is certainly no stranger to: childhood trauma.
Between the ages of nine to twelve, Alex experienced a lot of violence. He was also extensively bullied at school and humiliated by teachers. Nevertheless, he refused to give in to the abuse and fought his way out - quite literally to begin with!
Alex speaks very openly about his specific circumstances before sharing the coping strategies he has developed over the years. As Alex says, “Learning to cope takes time, practice and vigilance.” Alex shares what he has learned on his mental health journey so far.
Both Alex and David are teachers, so expect this to be educational as well as entertaining. Alex unpicks the misconception of martial arts being as violent and gives David a live lesson in meditation.
This conversation covers a lot of ground, including suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. They also touch on other aspects of mental health, including insomnia. Let us know if you would like more about this topic in a future episode with Alex and David!
Follow Alex on Instagram @sifu_lamas
Watch Alex’s adventures at:
/ @yestoadventure007
About the ‘On Our Minds Only?’ series:
Mental health is not discussed enough, despite it being an important element of the 007 stories. In this series, David talks very openly about mental health with members of the Bond community. He has a theory: these are the sorts of things on many of our minds but we often struggle to put them into words. Maybe we can change that?