Win Mental Combat

03/05/2024

Another month, another book for the Win Mental Combat Brotherhood Read & Report group (This is our version of a book club).
If you want to be part of a solid group of guys committed to self-improvement, join the Facebook group and check out the featured posts to get involved. See you there.

02/28/2024

When you stop learning you stop growing. When you stop learning from others you limit your potential.

02/13/2024

This quote comes from "The Slight Edge" which was the book for January that we read together in the Win Mental Combat Brotherhood. We have a great group of guys discussing life-changing books every month; join the Facebook group if you want to be part of the discussion!

11/02/2023

Come join the discussion on this month's read, Atomic Habits by James Clear.

10/12/2023

12 Hour Walk by Colin O'brady

08/09/2023

What do you see when you compare these photos?

Facebook memories are such an interesting thing. The photo on the left recently popped up as a memory.

Looking at nothing but the picture on the left, I'll tell you what I saw.

Embarrassment...

Failure...

Stupidity...

I wondered why on earth I even tried doing that. How could I take a chance only to do so poorly? Why was Facebook reminding me of how bad I was?

13 years ago my cousin Jessica Johnson Brinkerhoff was trusting enough (maybe too trusting 😅) and let me graffiti her room wall. The left picture is that result.

I was so glad Facebook was only showing me the photo and that it wasn't public.

Thankfully, somewhere in that line of thought the picture on the right came to mind. And ya know what's funny, when I finished the picture on the right I was still overly critical and compared it with other amazing pieces others were showing on Instagram. I told myself I wasn't there yet, still not good enough.

But! When I put these two pictures together, I see something different.

Growth...

Development...

Endurance...

I fail at a ton of things in my life. A dangerous trap that comes as you grow is looking back on the past and seeing the results of trying something new as failures.

If I were to look at either of the two pictures in isolation I could find the faults and failures in them. When I look at them together it shows the growth and development over time.

The message being...

Keep trying. Keep growing.

Don't look at just one moment in time. You need to include more of the story to see your true trajectory.

Hopefully this helps someone else out there looking at a Facebook memory and seeing failure.

It's not about where you were, it's about where you are going.

Progress is progress.

05/17/2023

May is Mental Health Awareness month. But, improving mental health needs more than just awareness, it needs action.

If you see the need for action, I invite you to share this.

If you have the means, I invite you to help fuel our efforts towards strengthening bonds between men to improve mental health.

https://gofund.me/bf8b0afc

It'll be by the small little actions accumulated over time that we will make the impact.

For a long time we have focused on awareness when it comes to men’s mental health, but now i… Ian Anderson needs your support for Support Men's Mental Health

05/05/2023

Just passed 1000 all-time downloads on the Unsung Battles podcast! Big thank you to all the guests and shout out to the listeners that are amplifying these voices! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

01/31/2023

https://unsung-battles.captivate.fm/facebook

Today we continue Janelle Fetzer and Roy Fetzer's story as Roy shares the experiences leading up to Janelle's diagnosis and his purpose in such a challenging situation. I also spend the end of the episode speaking with both Janelle and Roy as they talk about the impact of this journey on their relationship as well as expressing thanks for the love and support they continue to receive.

If you need some inspiration in your day, give this episode a listen.

01/18/2023

"I want to hug 14-year-old me. She didn’t feel like she fit in this world with the pretty bodies and outgoing, charming dispositions. That year, I became Bulimic & Anorexic.

My head hung in shame for years due to anxiety, panic attacks, and looming depression that seemed like a toxic friend I couldn't cut off. “I can’t control who I am but I can control my weight.”

The drive for control led to hospital stays, near death due to malnutrition, & scaring my loved ones. 1 year of struggling turned into a decade. I spent the better part of that decade engaging in various self-destructive behaviors and not caring if I inevitably passed away.

Changes happened at age 22. I had goals, love, & the need to help others. I received a degree in social work, began an internship in a substance abuse rehabilitation center, and reflected on my own mind. How could I tell clients they deserve life when I didn’t care to live?

At 25, I entered treatment for my mental health & eating disorder. It’s been over 2 years since any relapses. I started doing things I’d never dreamed of doing - like pageants and putting myself in the spotlight to discuss mental health. I am still a social worker/counselor; it is my calling in life.

Younger me thought she had to shrink herself away. The woman I am today fought tooth and nail to save her life. I’m not afraid to be seen or heard anymore. I am at a healthy weight, and I continue to take care of my mind. My eating disorder stole a decade, but it won't win. I feel beautiful in my healthy body. I no longer shrink myself from the world.

It’s not about appearance; it’s courage & survival. This is why I'm honored to be Mrs. Alabama in the Universe United national pageant in March '23. My platform is mental health/eating disorder awareness & breaking stigmas. I hope my story gives someone the courage to reach out for help if they need it."

If you'd like to donate to my pageant journey in Universe United, check out this link! Any support is greatly appreciated. (https://linktr.ee/Abbeyhammack)

Check out The Healing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people find resources & opportunities for eating disorder recovery. (https://www.theprojectheal.org/)

Reach out to Abbey Hammack by visiting her linktree or via Instagram:

01/17/2023

https://unsung-battles.captivate.fm/listen

Today, Gareth takes us through his experience taming anger, developing communication, and transitioning from the military.

01/12/2023

Knowledge is power!

https://linktr.ee/winmentalcombat

01/11/2023

As a young kid early on I witnessed domestic violence and experienced trauma. I realized how much my dad wasn’t around. I was 11 when my battle with depression and low self esteem started. That depression battle worsened as I got older. I had my oldest kids early at 19 and 21. It didn’t go the way I dreamed. The pressure sent me into a tailspin. I was able to hide my depression with my personality. After battling for so long I couldn’t hide it anymore. It got hard for me to maintain my job. I met my wife within all this. I was hesitant because I knew I couldn’t be the provider she deserved.

Eventually I lost all hope and turned to su***de. God saved me from that. I was so angry I didn’t want to live anymore, and I was just waiting to die. I had nightmares in my sleep and then woke up to a living nightmare every f’n day. I ended up in a psych ward. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 at the age of 35. I went to a PHP for 30 days. I was broken in there.

I asked God what’s the point of all this. I hated being in that space but I learned so much about the overwhelming feelings and emotions I’d been feeling for over 20 years. I didn’t know that what I was feeling had a label. The meds all disrupted my body but it was a break from the mental torture. While there I also began therapy with a psychiatrist and I worked my way down to just therapy.

I hated the road God had me on at the time but I’m so grateful for it now 6 yrs later I use my pain for purpose to help out suffering men and youth. I’m a father of 6 and a proud husband. I will battle Bipolar for the rest of my life but I built my life to be one big coping space. I coach youth football, mentor youth males, and I’m a counselor at a local middle school. I'm building a platform to do public speaking on trauma, and also writing a book. I have Two ESA dogs, a bearded dragon and my huge family who love and support me. The hardest work was the mental work that no one else seen for years.

Don’t underestimate trauma, anxiety, or depression; it could literally cost you your life. After I started talking about my battles openly I realized my su***de would’ve broke so many people. I just thank God for having my mind back!

Connect with Devv or tune into his Monday streams: https://linktr.ee/theloquaciousthinkers
Or find him on Instagram

These Wed. posts are an opportunity to see the faces and hear the words from individuals on the front lines of mental combat. No matter how big or small the fight, we each have battles we are facing.

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01/10/2023

Today we talk about facing and healing from the trauma of abuse.

https://unsung-battles.captivate.fm/listen

Men are sharing their mental health stories. It's time to listen.

01/09/2023

You will get better, you will grow.

01/08/2023

Came across this quote in my reading. What are your thoughts?

01/07/2023

Don't accept your life, lead your life. If you don't have a destination in mind, it doesn't really matter what choices you make with your time. Find that purpose and take little steps towards it each day!

01/04/2023

Build yourself little by little and you'll see your efforts compounded over time. Stay in the fight, do what you can, and keep moving forward. You got this!

01/03/2023

https://unsung-battles.captivate.fm/listen

First episode of the Unsung Battles podcast released!

It's time for men to share their mental health stories. Tune in to listen to the conversation.

Quickly and easily listen and subscribe to Unsung Battles for free in your podcast app of choice.

01/02/2023

First episode releases tomorrow! If you haven't already, follow the link in the below to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

https://unsung-battles.captivate.fm/listen

We will be discussing the why behind Win Mental Combat and the Unsung Battles podcast, mental illness, religious stigmas, and how to connect through vulnerability.

01/01/2023

As we start out the new year, take some time to understand what the best version of yourself looks like. What is that self doing everyday that you are not? Now, what's your first step to getting closer to your best self. Take it one habit at a time.

12/31/2022

Has your experience with therapy been positive or negative? What advice do you have for making it a positive experience?

12/30/2022

What do you think, should consistency and routine be this important in your life?

We all want to talk about and look forward to the variety in our lives, but it's what we do daily that leads us to the best version of ourselves.

https://linktr.ee/winmentalcombat

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12/30/2022

We are talking about heavy subjects on the podcast. They are uncomfortable and vulnerable topics, so why talk about them?
First episode dropping soon. Subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform.
https://linktr.ee/winmentalcombat
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