Watch podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vIbLQQ1i56Y?si=jUTt_tRbRW7qM2sD
You may not realize this—or even believe it yet—but you already have the tools you need to change your mental well-being and change your life.
I listen to a lot of podcasts, and many of them are helpful in many ways, but not all of them are relevant to all of my patients. However, this particular podcast—Buddhist Teacher: No One Is Talking About This Hidden Epidemic! The Western Lie Behind Depression and Anxiety—stood out to me as something that everyone can benefit from.
Very often in our culture, we are always looking for the fix. We look outside ourselves to fix the problem. Yet there is no external fix. “Hello, doctor, I have anxiety. What can you do to help?” The doctor prescribes a pill. The pill works for a while to stabilize or numb, but then we build tolerance, it no longer works, and we go back for more. Medication can be very important for some people; however, it doesn’t “cure” anything. Rather, it works strictly on the symptoms. But if your goal is to truly soothe yourself and find peace, joy, and happiness in your life, know that these tools come from within you.
Podcast Synopsis
In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, Gelong Thubten shares his own experience with burnout, self-criticism, and the internal pressure that so many people live with but rarely talk about openly. He speaks candidly about what it’s like to feel trapped by your own thoughts—and how that struggle led him to look inward rather than continue searching for external solutions.
As the conversation unfolds, he addresses some of the most common battles people face: overthinking, shame, self-judgment, and emotional avoidance. Instead of trying to control or eliminate these experiences, he explains how learning to relate to them differently can change everything. The focus shifts from “fixing” the mind to understanding it.
He also spends meaningful time discussing grief and loss, acknowledging how deeply these experiences shape us and how often they are pushed aside in a culture that demands people to “move on.” Rather than avoiding pain, he reframes grief as something that must be faced honestly in order to heal.
Throughout the episode, there is a consistent challenge to our culture’s reliance on external fixes—achievement, distraction, validation, and numbing behaviors. The message is clear: while these may offer temporary relief, they do not create lasting change. Real change comes from doing the internal work.
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Thubten is one of the UK’s most influential meditation teachers, who spent 6 years in isolated meditation retreats, including one which lasted 4 years. He is also the bestselling author of books such as a Handbook for Hard Times: A Monk’s Guide to Fearless Living.
He explains:
The hidden mental health crisis that’s silently destroying your emotional well-being.
- Why Western culture increases anxiety, depression, and disconnection
- The biggest myths about meditation and how to meditate properly.
- The real reason your meditation practice isn’t working.
- How screen time and phone addiction are hijacking your brain and inner peace.
- Why rejecting pleasure can lead to lasting connection and clarity.
- How unresolved trauma controls your mind and how mindfulness can free you.
Listen:
https://youtu.be/vIbLQQ1i56Y?si=XM8if3JjvBzaTFoF
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