I don't like to admit this because it's embarrassing...
I used to be a man that wasn't serving himself or his family. I spent the majority of my life suffering from unresolved childhood trauma and then later on in life a host of mental health issues from a career in public safety.
I buried it deep down inside. Because that's what we do and that's what the majority of our culture in public safety and healthcare does. We compartmentalize to survive. The tragedy, loss and suffering. All of it. Put in in a box in your mind and bury it deep. Swallow that lump in your throat and choke back the emotion.
I was brought up in a culture that told me that's the way it was. I didn't know any different. If I couldn't handle it maybe I wasn't good enough for this job? I was the guy who made jokes and rolled my eyes during the yearly EMS mental health training.
I didn't know anything about healing or transforming myself. I didn't know about therapy, meditation, mindfulness, cold water therapy, breath work or hormonal imbalance. I didn't know about how my mental health was directly correlated to my physical health.
So there I was. Living in my victim story. Blaming everything else for my problems. Nearly losing everything I had. Unmotivated in life. At least I was a really good paramedic though right?
Over the past few years I have been undergoing a transformation from the ground up. To the extent that I'm not even recognizable to the person I was two years ago. I've done this with the Six Pillars that have become the foundation of this brand, Mindfulness Medic.
And that is why first responder mental health is so personally important to me. Because I know first hand how difficult it can be. But I also know how incredible it can become.