I lay out my story as it unfolded over the past year and some change. You get some raw me as far as emotions go. I'm feeling good! I'm not numb. The emotions have come back, kinda in my face, as far as intensity and control at times. I give you every bit of me. The good, yeah there is good! The bad, I sunk low at times. Did I mention the good? It feels great feeling good and I want to share this hope with you in the realest real way I can. Let's Go!

Where have I been? Number one, I'm OK. Number two, break time is over. This podcast started off as a video and this is the audio to the video.  It wasn't meant to be a podcast episode, but I couldn't help myself hence the fact this is Episode 0. I'm here! I'm also excited for the rest of this year and 2024. I plan on taking Mental Health Awareness to a new level! Let's Go!

Mental Health and Mental Illness. We must talk about both. Society's view of mental health and the ability to ask for help needs a serious overall. We do it by talking. The more we talk the more chances we have of it becoming an accepted topic. It Is OK To Not Be OK. It Is OK To Need Help. It Is OK To Ask For Help. These phrases need to be repeated over and over and then we have a chance at some serious life saving changes. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode. Have a great day!

It has been a while since we talked! It's been a crazy winter. Not the best on record for yours truly. And then the winds start to blow again. We decide it's time to make some changes. No matter how we feel about the effort, sometimes we have to follow the wind. For me right now, those winds are the winds of medication changes and they are blowing! Thank you for listening and please enjoy!

We are stronger together! The ways I was using, before I asked for help, were no longer working for me. I was trying to do everything myself and this method was no longer benefitting me. I realized I needed help. I made the huge step of reaching out of myself and asking for help from others around me.

We need to come together. So much division exists these days. Our mental health deserves the best we can get/give and this is where we have to come together and help each other during our times of need. During our times of darkness that can creep in. We have to knock down the walls of stigma surrounding mental health and take control. We have to do this together! We Are Stronger Together! You Matter!

I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for listening!

I felt this episode was necessary after the events which led to Simone Biles, U.S. gymnast, withdrawing from the competition due to her mental health. Admitting that you are not OK is not easy. She was able to admit she was not OK and that her mind was not allowing her to focus the way she needed too to safely continue competing in the event, and she did this in front of the world. So powerful! She was able to conjure up the strength to put herself and her mental health above all else at that moment.

We have to make our mental health a priority...PERIOD. It Is OK To Not Be OK. It Is OK To Admit You Are Not OK. It Is OK To Ask For Help. You matter and you are worth all of the effort!

Please, enjoy😊 

Two years ago I was in a hole. A dark hole. The darkness had long consumed me and I was overlooking a cliff. Thankfully, I decided to ask for help. I decided to Choose Life! Today, I celebrate. I would love nothing more than to celebrate with you. It Is OK To Not Be OK. Ask for help. Begin the transition to a life that you can be happy seeing yourself living again. You are worth it!

We experience different occurrences in our lives. Some good and some bad. We need to allow ourselves to step back and evaluate what has occurred and evaluate how it fits into our lives and our mental health. We gain and can even alter our perspective of our plan for better mental health. Also, some of these occurrences happen for a reason. Have you accepted the plan and the road you are on? I know through some recent occurrences in my life, and it wasn't awesome, but it did allow me to more fully accept the plan I am following for improving my mental health and how I deal with my mental issue.

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to share and like/review.

Please check out: rockingmentalhealth.com 
            This is my website promoting mental health awareness through the telling of my dealings with depression and anxiety. I advocate for our mental health through a variety of creative expression which I have been messing around with.

Yes, the title basically describes a lot of this episode and I never claim to have all the answers. My wife and I, along with our dog Ben, set off for the coast of North Carolina for a much needed get away. I describe how it felt to be away from home, my comfort zone, for a week and everything that ensued. I also come clean about stopping one of my antidepressants the week before leaving, hence the bonehead reference, and how it affected the trip. Never stop your medication without the consent of your doctor! I hope you enjoy. We got this and we are worth every effort we put into ourselves all of the time whether we are in our comfort zones or we take ourselves out of them.

We have been talking about some of the changes that go on after asking for help. We have gone through and/or are going through a lot. With as many changes as we are working on to strengthen our mental health, thankfully not everything has to change. We have a lot of good things about us as well. We seem to push these to the back of the room as we work on the immediate changes that need to be worked on initially. We need to focus on the good things about ourselves, as well, as they help to provide a good foundation to grow on.