We all have different coping mechanisms. Sometimes they  change as we grow or get older. Firstly, Freddie and Merwe try to learn  from each other what they do to manage their stress. And lastly, are  these methods healthy or effective?

Merwe and Freddie critically evaluate how they are  physically, emotionally and spiritually behave during the covid pandemic  and how lockdown have and are affecting them.

Freddie is experiencing a dilemma. He is  Wellness Counsellor, embracing the natural route to health. Both he and  Merwe are in recovery from drug addiction. The question they discuss  between them is the place of CBD in any form of healing for people in  recovery. They look at the difference between CBD oil and TCH oil and  why one could be okay for recovering addicts while the other is a sure  no-no.

In sport, there is a clear time-frame when you were or  should be in your prime - peak performance. As a human, when are you,  were you or should you be in your prime? How to even determine if a  human is in his or her prime? As a baseball player it can be home-runs,  as a quarterback it could be touchdowns. As a person... Freddie &  Merwe try to draw up parameters for this discussion and debate it.

Many of us feel anxious when we have to go to large  gatherings or even intimate dinners, either thinking it is normal to  feel this way or totally freaking out because we think we are insane  because people freak us out. Merwe and Freddie chat about their  different levels and experiences of social anxiety, with Freddie never  having realised that people freak him out.

To be - or not to be? To be disciplined or to be  spontaneous? Is one more important than the other? Freddie leans towards  (extreme) structure, while Merwe wakes up every day at a different  time. They discuss how each benefits their life and consider if they are  effective. What do you think?

Both Freddie and Merwe are really good at analysing and dissecting  problems. We are not so good at taking a moment to appreciate and  extensively talk about our good days. Freddie was having a cracker of a  day and Merwe wanted to know why, what happened in the days leading up  to it and what can we learn from it.

Merwe has suffered some horrible impact injuries with his schoolboy rugby and adult downhill-mountain biking. He was hit twice by a car when cycling on the road and had numerous other injuries. This podcast aims to understand how injuries have an impact on the physical and emotional mind - how it changes the brain's capability and hormones and how this in turn changes your emotions. Freddie, as a young national South African medalist in athletics, fits wonderfully in with this discussion with his sporty background - not to mention his counsellor's perspective and knowledge. 

The inspiration for this podcast came from Merwe when he thought about how it is suggested in recovery not to compare yourself with others. He watches a lot of podcasts with very successful podcasters. He proposed this topic so that realistic goals for the average person can be set so that we don't strive for something that we are not willing to put the legwork in for.  

In episode 10 of Orangutans in the field, Merwe and Freddie discuss the  emotional price we, sometimes may, pay for caring for ourselves. They  look at things like the uncomfortable feeling to set up a boundary to  keep oneself safe and other interesting twists in the tale of seeking  the holy grail called mental health.