Welcome to This Contrarian Life!
For those of you that know me closely, you know that I have PTSD. I will not go into the deep details as to why, but if you are interested, I will touch on it periodically throughout the blog and podcasts. I have reached a point in my therapy path that I can talk about it.
I do want to use this platform and my voice to talk about what mental health awareness means to me.
To me mental health is like the “third rail” of health, wellness, and growth. It is difficult to speak about it, both as a communicator or to receive someone’s message. It is not the most socially easy topic to broach.
There is no perfect way to talk about your mental health or hear someone talk about it. The point is that you should use your voice/ears/heart if you are open to it. It is hugely important.
For me, when things started to happen, I felt very alone early on. Like I needed a volleyball to talk to alone. (I try to use humor to cope, so please bear with me.) I didn’t know what was happening to me, felt ashamed and didn’t think people would understand/relate. So, I went into a hole and started to distance from everyone/everything.
Once I started to communicate my issues and need for help, I found out quickly that I am not alone. It isn’t for everyone. There were people that have distanced themselves and some were even negative in their response. For those people, we are cool. Perhaps you weren’t in a position to respond for a multitude of reasons.
Those that have helped lift me up when I needed it, I cannot thank you enough. As I work through my process of recovery and making myself better, I will not forget you and want to use my voice to lift up and raise awareness.
I do continue to feel alone at times based on no one to relate my experience to. From what I have learned at these moments is that I have resources that I can utilize. Regardless of how they can relate.
My path is going to become very dynamic in the coming months. Some of it I will share with you on this platform. Others will be kept to close people on “Team Kyle”. My team includes a therapist, life coach, nutritionist, personal trainer, my journal, and people like you. (That last bit sounded very PBS like and I am not asking for money or offering a tote bag for a donation)
If interested, we are always looking to add to that roster and might get team jackets. (If that isn’t incentive enough, I don’t know what is!) Feel free to reach out if you’d like to join!
Even better, reach out to someone you think needs to hear from you. Perhaps you should reach out to share your own concerns. Never neglect seeking or giving help.
If you really need immediate help, please don’t hesitate to call 800-273-8255. (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) Do this FIRST if it is an emergency. They are trained professionals and will be there for anything.
If you are not at that point and just need a lift, I am here for you. I have your back and know that I want to give back as I have been helped. My path forward is to give back more than I got. As my dad told me at one significant point in my life, “I’ve never seen a trailer hitch on the hearse.”
Be well, take care of yourself and give yourself a hug tonight, both literally and figuratively.
Thanks for joining me in This Contrarian Life and I look forward sharing my adventures with you.
– Contrarian Kyle
