To: SameYou, and Those Affected by Mental Illness or Brain Injury
Subject: My Journey to Mental Wellness
Hi, I'm josh. I want to share some of my journey to mental wellness with you. Yes, you ;). My challenge is different than yours; perhaps it's nowhere close to what you've experienced, but I hope by sharing, it may inspire someone, somewhere, to seek help or better be able to give help, to someone in need.
I recently spent some time in the asylum. I use that term lovingly, as it was a very impactful and positive experience for me. You see, my main profession is in the aviation realm. And in the past, those with wings, risked losing their wings, if they asked for help in dealing with certain mental health related challenges.
Specifically, my challenge much of my life has been low energy. And for a few periods, I've been in longer-term states of low energy, some of which many would call: depression. During other times, I've felt great, and had high energy.
I realized that for me (this may not be applicable to everyone), both the highs and the lows were related to decisions I made, or did not make. In other words, when I felt great and had energy, it's because I took specific steps, and benefited from them. And often my low periods were times in my life when I took on too much; in a way I broke myself, or found my 'limits,' so to speak.
Most recently, I was on the path to break myself again. Things were going really well (or so I thought). With the help of my family and friends, and my willingness to both receive and ask for help, I admitted myself to a mental health care facility, and chose to stay for two weeks. I was likely on the path to burnout, although, I had trouble seeing it at the time. It was also a period where I was having trouble with getting enough sleep over the course of a few weeks.
To be concise, had I known how much I could have benefited from such an experience in the past, I would have sought help for my mental health challenges years ago. I'm not sure exactly what is 'wrong' with me, but it's in the realm of mental illness and brain injury. My initial working diagnosis was: Unspecified Illness.
A received a new working diagnosis a few days ago, and I'm still processing it. I don't know that I agree with it, but perhaps that doesn't matter; I'll share that with you another time. For now, let's just say that I'm honored to be considered among those, past and present, that share the label.
That said, the past few months, I became aware of an organization called SameYou. I'm a big Game of Thrones fan, and learned about Emilia Clarke's personal journey a few years ago. When I first read it, I was inspired by her resilience to push through incredible challenge, and get back to work.
My situation is vastly different, but we share a few parts: getting back up to do the work we love.
The purpose of this post is to help spread light to those suffering from brain injury, whether a mental illness or any other kind of brain damage. In my line of work, PTSD is commonplace; it's considered a psychological injury, not a brain injury. But perhaps the two may be related from time to time. And many, like me, struggle to ask for help.
I thought it appropriate to share a small part of my mental health healing journey with you all for two specific reasons: to fundraise $10,000 for SameYou and support the incredible work they're doing to help others, and to inspire those who need help, to seek help in the appropriate way.
I plan to livestream via Twitch on Never Give Up Day (see below for details), on Monday, August 19th at 8:30 AM Pacific Standard Time. It's my local time in California, USA. I haven't decided precisely what I'll do, but expect a ~30 minute livestream where I'll share a my best life hack for mental illness/brain injury recovery and perhaps play some Halo Wars 2 and/or practice some self care.
My SameYou Campaign Page: https://tilt.fyi/bcWhiFreJO
Tiltify Donation Link: https://tilt.fyi/R7J3rlwrzG
Twitch Livestream Link: https://tiltify.com/@shield-5-love/my-journey-to-mental-wellness
When: Monday, August 19th, 8:30 AM PST
Fundraising Goal: $10,000 USD
For now, I'll end this blog post with some lyrics from our friends, Linkin Park:
One More Night
"Should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
Can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
We saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
There are things that we can have, but can't keep
If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out?
In the sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well I do
The reminders pull the floor from your feet
In the kitchen, one more chair than you need oh
And you're angry, and you should be, it's not fair
Just 'cause you can't see it, doesn't mean it, isn't there
If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out?
In the sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well I do
Who cares if one more light goes out?
In the sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well I do
Well I do"
Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 09:00 AM through August 19, 2024
"Never Give Up Day" is an annual event celebrated on August 18th, dedicated to encouraging individuals and communities to maintain perseverance and resilience in the face of challenges. The day is designed to inspire people to overcome adversity, stay motivated, and continue striving towards their goals, no matter how difficult the journey may be.
How you can help?
On this Never Give Up Day, we are inviting you to share your best life hack after brain injury with the SameYou community. It could be a unique way to manage fatigue, a helpful memory aid, a daily routine that brings you comfort and stability or even a quote that has helped you throughout your recovery.
Sharing your best life hack can make a big difference and provide valuable support to someone within the brain injury community. It could help others adopt new strategies to aid their recovery, help survivors acknowledge their own resilience and go on to inspire others whose lives have been changed by brain injury.
In the lead-up to Never Give Up Day, keep an eye out for SameYou’s Advocates and Ambassadors who will be sharing hacks and powerful messages of hope and encouragement. Make sure to share their messages to help us spread positivity and support brain injury survivors from all around the world.
Brain injury can happen to anyone. Together, we can create a collection of practical and inspiring ideas that embody the spirit of Never Give Up Day.
To submit your life hack, use the reaction button below, tell us how prepared you were to face the recovery journey and then you’ll be invited to submit your best life hack.
Talk soon!
Fair skies and tailwinds,
josh
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