I hear it frequently.  I don't need to talk about it.  I'll just get drunk.

Many times vets think being vulnerable for a moment and talking about things they have dealt with or are currently dealing with is a weakness.  In all actuality, talking about the things we've dealt with personally or professionally is a strength.  This is a brief snapshot of Zach Bowen's story and the result of attempting to run from his demons.

Many vets are addicted to it without realizing it.  Politics, media and social media are avenues of stress that cause more harm than good for most veterans and it's adding to the 22.  Most feel the need to stay directly tied to the political drama and in-fighting because of how it may or may not affect the military and veteran ranks.  Which leads to the constant attention on the media and what both sides of mainstream media are saying, causing even more stress.  Which leads to posting and reading posts on social media, and responding negatively to those that we barely know...or worse, responding negatively to our brothers and sisters in arms that we fought along side.  These negative responses and stressors create deeper isolation and, in my humble opinion, add to the 22 suicides a day.  It has to stop.

So here are some ways we can destress from these toxic subjects and arenas!

You say you want change.  You say you want TO change.  You say you want to be better.  You say you want to find your purpose and identity...well, how bad do you want it?

If you are in a committed relationship, chances are you have had bumps in the road.  That's a part of being in a relationship.  But many times marital challenges can be the cause of suicidal thoughts...or worse, carrying out one's own suicide.  Here are a couple things you can do to reframe the marital challenges you're facing and ways to navigate those challenges effectively.

Many of us veterans face the mental destruction of the negative opinions of others, even other veterans.  We put a lot of value into the opinions of others, without valuing our own opinion, or even having a positive opinion about ourselves.  Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when you are putting too much focus into the negative opinions of others.

We've heard so many people say, "This is my goal."  Many declare it to be true, but not many clear a path to make it happen!  Here's what you do to clear that path...

I had a deep conversation with Mike on challenges he faced at the strategic level and how that affected him personally and professionally.  He had many personal challenges that affected him as well.  We also discuss where the mindset of leadership has been and where we believe it should go.  And just as my conversations typically go, we talked about a whole lot more!

In this episode, I have a deep conversation with Ricky Johnson who has an amazing story of navigating severe challenges!  From addiction, to his son's suicide, by most accounts, one could think Ricky's story is one that nobody could recover from.  In our conversation, Ricky talks about his insights and actions he took to turn his life around!  

Acceptance and forgiveness are crucial, but getting the pressure released and beginning to share the things that happened to us, even if it's on a piece of paper, will go a long way.  It's a journey, it's not over night, but every step forward is a step toward healing.

We hear veterans talk about wanting to find their purpose and identity again, but there is something keeping them from moving forward in that search.  Many veterans are still holding onto what has happened in the past and not forgiving those that wronged them, situations they were involved in, or forgiveness of self!

There are ways that we can start the process of acceptance and forgiveness to be able to start moving forward.  Listen to see how you can start to move forward.

NOTE:  There was about 10 minutes that was cut off during the recording and picks back up.  Any exercise or important information that was missed will be readdressed in a later episode.

In this episode, I discuss the following topics:

- The Alive Documentary

- Did the culture of silence created during the WWI era created a genetic code of silence in our veterans of present day wars?

- "We support our troops" and "We hire vets" and "Only vets care about vets"

- The stress of setting expectations for others that have not experienced life in the military

- The Mentorship tab in the Vets Mentoring Vets Facebook Group