Wellness Action Recovery The W.A.R. Podcast with Fonda Bryant

From student-athletes, professional athletes to Olympic Champions, Episode 10 of Wellness Action Recovery, "The W.A.R. podcast will be addressing their mental health as well as doing better by ALL who are dealing with mental health issues.  
40 MILLION Americans deal with anxiety and 17 MILLION deal with depression.  1 out of 5 adults have a mental health condition with 60% of them not receiving treatment.  
56% of Americans don't receive mental health treatment because of lack of mental health care.    
Everyday people need the same empathy, compassion, kindness and support as people who are famous.  Listen to the W.A.R. podcast to learn more.  
#RichardSherman #SimoneBiles #NaomiOsaka  #Sha'Carri Richardson #Athletes #Olympics

In episode #9 of Wellness Action Recovery, "The W.A.R." Podcast I will be talking about Action vs. Words.  People will ask, "How are you doing and are you okay?" never really caring if you are.  In today's society, Do people really mean what they say?  

#ILoveYou #WeLoveYou #AuntSpankie #QPRTraining #Twitter #SocialMedia

In Episode #8 of Wellness Action Recovery, "The W.A.R." podcast, I will be discussing how the faith-based community needs to do a better job of helping members of their congregation not be ashamed and get help, when it comes to mental health, addiction and suicidal thoughts.

Mental health and physical health are one.  Therefore, the faith-based community should recognize that, not judge and be willing to help anyone in their congregation who is struggling.  The way churches have looked at those dealing with mental health issues, addiction and suicidal thoughts are another deterrent in helping people get the help they need.

The more we work together and let them know, "Help is available," the better off they will be.

#MentalHealthFirstAid #QPRTraining #Utah #BibleBelt #RogerSelf #GastonCounty 

In episode #7, I am talking about how people of color, particular Black people would rather self-medicate than go seek professional help.  The biggest reason is the stigma that surrounds mental health.  Black people have always viewed mental health as a sign of weakness and that mentality is killing us DAILY.

Sha'Carri Richardson was poised to the Olympics and be the next Flo Jo but due to testing positive for pot, she can only compete in the relay competition.  Without help, mental health can cause your dreams to be shattered, lose people you care about and keep your life in constant chaos.

Randy Gregory with the Dallas Cowboys depression kept him in and out of the NFL for years because he couldn't quit smoking pot.  For a while self-medicating was more important than his career.  Now, he is thriving because he put his mental health first.

Chaz Ah You said in an interview, "His mental health was unbreakable."   That is NOT a true statement.  With serious mental health issues, your mental health is never UNBREAKABLE especially if you don't take it seriously and aren't getting professional help.  It can BREAK you though causing poor decisions, bad judgment, incarceration, and what this episode is about, self-medicating .  Self-medication is not only  putting your life at  risk but innocent people whether driving drunk or high.

 It is an ongoing journey and you have to be willing to put in the work daily just like you do getting ready for the football season.

#JoshGordon #NFL #Parents #Honesty #DallasCowboys

Episode #6 of Wellness Action Recovery "The W.A.R." podcast is a conversation regarding social media and your mental health.  Everything you see on social media from posts to pictures isn't always reality or the truth.

More than one in three adults (38%) see social media usage as harmful to mental health; nearly half (45%) see social media usage as having both positive and negative impacts on mental health; only 5% see it as having a positive impact.

According the the Pew Research Center, 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the U.S. use social media.  This puts a large amount of the population at an increased risk if feeling anxious, depressed or ill over their social media.  Take a BREAK!  Get outside, go for a walk, spend time with your family or friends.   There should be a balance with social media for your own mental wellness.

Trauma is both what happens to a person and their reaction to it.    There are different types of trauma, Bullying, Community violence,  Disasters, Early Childhood Trauma, Intimate Partner violence, Medical trauma, or physical abuse.

Emotional reaction to trauma can include fear, anxiety, panic, shock and difficulty believing in what has happened.  We have got to quit asking, "What is wrong with you and start asking, what happened to you?"  We have got to do a better job of recognizing trauma and getting people the help they need.

(George Floyd, Kellen Winslow, Jr.)

In episode 4 of Wellness Action Recovery, "The W.A.R." Podcast, I will be talking  about how mental health doesn't discriminate and treats everyone the same from celebrities like Michelle Williams formerly of Destiny's Child, Taraji B. Henson,  The Rock, Selena Gomez, Brandon  Marshall, Dax Prescott, Darius Leonard and Naomi Osaka who all have opened up about their struggles with depression to college football players like Chaz Ah You at BYU.  

Mental health doesn't discriminate so why should society?  We have to do a better job of normalizing the conversation around mental health with the famous and non-famous working together to stomp out the negative stigma that surrounds mental health, so people can get the help they need.

 

Suicide is the most preventable death of all deaths IF people would care and get educated.  QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Suicide Prevention Training can teach anyone in an hour and a half how to save a life through positive action while providing HOPE, 

In an hour and a half to two hours, as a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Instructor, I can train anyone how to recognize someone suicidal or in crisis, talk and listen in a nonjudgmental way and help them to get the help they need all while remaining positive. I used my own journey as a 26-year suicide survivor while training.  I have loved every minute of it because not only have I been training people to save lives, I have been helping people through the training who have lost someone to suicide or attempted themselves.  Once you finish the training, you receive a certificate that lasts for three years but the training lasts a lifetime.  You also get a QPR booklet in pdf form.  The training is upbeat, positive, provides HOPE but most of all trains you how to save a life.

If interested in this lifesaving training, please email me at [email protected]

You can take the QPR Suicide Prevention Training this month for FREE either Saturday, June 12th, or Saturday, June 26th.  Both classes are from 1:30-3:00 p.m. EST Sharp.   NO Registration.  What is two hours out of your day IF the time is spent learning how to save a life?

PARENTS, if you child was showing signs of diabetes, heart issues, cancer or any other "physical condition, you wouldn't hesitate to get your child the help they need, correct?  The same sense of urgency you have for your child if they have a physical condition, you need that same urgency when it comes to getting your child help for a mental health condition.

By the time a child is 14 years old, 50% of them are showing signs of a mental health condition.  By the time a child is 24 years old, 75% of children are showing signs of a mental health condition.  Early detection is the key when it comes to have mentally healthy adults.  We have to normalize mental health conversation.  Without treatment nearly 50% of children with a mental health condition will develop a substance use order.

In the first episode of  my podcast, I am introducing myself, sharing my own struggles with mental health issues as well as my suicide attempt.  People don't realize that me helping others helps me to have purpose.  However, with helping people who are dealing with mental health issues, substance abuse or a combination of both, it can be a challenge trying to help them.  You want to see the people you help get on the road of mental wellness but not everyone wants that and not everyone is willing to put in the work.  Join me through my journey of mental wellness, helping, sharing and finding HOPE.