February 2025 Theme Mix Tape
The It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: February 2025 Theme Mix Tape (Side A) can be found on Spotify. Listen in-blog below for a more rich experience, or on Spotify for uninterrupted music. Please note below each song is a link to song lyrics for accessibility. Check out more details on how to best enjoy mix tapes.
Good day and welcome to KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
I’m your host, DJ Ponyboy, with a very special message just for you – yes, you!
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.
Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, or any other way – being not okay is not a reflection of your character, evidence of weakness, or demonstration of anything else negative.
Every single human being struggles at different points in their lives with not being okay in one way or another – and that’s okay.
Rob Scallon is one of my favourite YouTube content creators; I appreciate his creativity, musical ability, and personality, but I gained an even greater appreciation for him after watching a video he posted a few years ago bravely speaking out about his struggles with undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
Please watch the complete video for full context, but the short version of the story of our next song goes like this. First of October is a joint project between YouTube creators and musicians Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang; basically, every year, they enter a studio together on October first to write and record a ten-track album in one day.
Rob states this recording session is one of his very favourite times of the year, and during an unrecognized manic episode prior to the date, he made a lot of big plans and spent a lot of money renting out the famous Abbey Road recording studio in London and paying for flights and an expensive AirBnB, only for the downswing of a major depressive episode to begin leading up to October, resulting in him being in a deeply depressed state during the recording of the album.
He says, “Thankfully, when you’re in a band with Andrew Huang you can just do nothing, and this album’s still great. Another thing that’s weird is we were in an amazing AirBnB in London about to like shoot in Abby Road I should be having such a great time right now. … I felt so much, like, shame and embarrassment”.
I don’t want to discount Andrew’s contribution, but I think Rob should give himself a little bit more credit, if only because his experience birthed our next song, one of the most beautifully raw and honest tracks I’ve ever heard; it makes me cry every time.
If you identify with this next track, I’m here to let you know I understand, I’ve been there (am sometimes still there), and you are stronger than you think.
You will get through this – you are a survivor who has survived 100% of your bad days and I am so very proud of you.
I’m DJ Ponyboy and this is First of October with “Usually” on KMTJ-DB – Denver, Colorado.
“Recently, I’m just feeling off … but it seems I go on.”
First of October with “Usually”.
Speaking of people who are courageous enough to openly admit when they’re not okay, Andrew Huang (the other half of that group) has bravely spoken out about his own struggles with hearing loss.
It’s important to remember that mental health is health and there should never be stigma attached to taking care of your health. Mental health struggles don’t need to be as “serious” as bipolar disorder to qualify as a health issue. Both cancer and a cold are health issues.
If you (like me) are in the US, frightened and depressed, concerned about the future and anxious about the unknowns, that counts as not being okay! And that’s okay!
Lola Young sings about her own struggles with depression while reminding herself and us that “there’s always morning after the night”.
While phrases like “morning after the night” and “people still show up” can seem trite and cliché, they are also nearly always true, and can act as something for us to grasp on to when we don’t feel we have any hope.
Maren Morris with “People Still Show Up” on KMTJ-DB, Denver. Lola Young and “Flicker of Light” before that.
I’m your host, DJ Ponyboy, reminding you it’s okay to not be okay.
One scary symptom I am grateful to have experienced rarely, but some people struggle with greatly is panic attacks. Our next two tracks do an excellent job of putting into words what it feels like to experience a panic attack, with lines like, “It’s not me there, it’s someone wearing my hair, telling you I’m okay and I’ll be back soon, but I’m not even anywhere – it’s so fucking unfair”; and “I wanna be that girl down there. … I’ll take the sensations – just let me back into my body again”.
If you have never had a panic attack yourself, please listen closely to the lyrics of my next few tracks and try to imagine what it might be like; it is important to practice having empathy for people who experience life differently than we do.
Jasmine.4.t with “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation” on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation Lyrics
We heard Jasmine.4.t with “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation”, followed by Okay Kara with “The Wannabe”.
If you are struggling with your mental health, especially if you haven’t before, what can you do? I am not a medical professional, and you should consult with one if you are struggling; however, there are a lot of options you can pursue, from medication to therapy, from exercising and eating better to building community and practicing coping mechanisms.
In our last song, you may have noticed the singer utilizing one of these coping mechanisms – a grounding technique aimed at helping regain control of racing, anxious thoughts by anchoring your body in the present.
Known as the 5-4-3-2-1 method, it involves identifying five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. I recommend trying this the next time you feel overwhelmed, whether it feels as “serious” as a panic attack, or you just feel paralyzed by a mind full of racing thoughts.
Another helpful coping strategy is surrounding yourself with nature; exercise is still another. Dan Crow urges us to utilize both by “[taking] a walk outside today” on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado!
I’m DJ Ponyboy, and if my music brightens your day, please consider supporting me and Mix Tape Journey by signing up for my email newsletter, purchasing one of my products, supporting me on Patreon, or just sharing your favourite mix tape with a friend! Thank you for your contribution; I appreciate you!
Singer-songwriter Ashe tells us about some of her mental health challenges, while also sharing her wins. My favourite part of this song is the sinking steel guitar after she says, “Now my fair-weather friends are gone with the cold”; it does such a great job of interpreting the emotion behind the lyrics.
Enjoy Ashe with “Ashe”.
Sometimes mental health challenges come up internally, and other times they are placed upon us by people or experiences in our lives. Maya Hawke urges her younger self to “Hang In There”, as she looks back on an abusive relationship she survived.
I’m DJ Ponyboy; if you are a survivor of any type of abuse (whether physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual or any other type), I want you to know it wasn’t your fault, it isn’t your fault, and it never was.
I have spoken about different kinds of love in the past, but the most important relationship you will ever have in your entire life is with yourself. Thee Sacred Souls urge us to “love yourself the way you love the idea of love” in “Live For You” on KMTJ-DB, Denver.
I’m DJ Ponyboy reminding you to “Live For You”. Wherever you are in your mental health journey, I am so proud of you and how far you have come. You are so strong and so brave, and I am so proud to know you. You have so much to give and I cannot wait to see all you have to offer as you continue to heal day by day.
Don’t forget to join me next week for the February Connections Mix Tape, where I will be unveiling a brand new format, and the week after that for Side B of the It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: February 2025 Theme Mix Tape.
I’m DJ Ponyboy, looking to end this mix tape on a high note; while growing can be painful, it is also such a very joyful journey as well, especially if we share it together.
I’m thankful you have chosen to share your journey with me and I am proud of you for continuing to make it through the rough times.
Here is Trousdale with “Growing Pains”.
Thank you so much for joining me today and every week to share love, laughter, tears, and music.
You have been listening to KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
I’m DJ Ponyboy reminding you to stay gold.