#SameHere The Global Mental Health Movement

Sports world meets mental health, meets suicide prevention: The way we talk about, & report on suicide has got to change. There are two scenarios right now that are setting us back: 1) what’s customary when authorities find someone who has tragically passed, where they believe it was suicide, the term isn’t brought up, no cause of death is discussed, & you mostly just hear “not foul play is suspected.” 2) what is the norm when authorities believe it’s not suicide, is to say: “suicide has been ruled out as a possible cause.” Neither of these approaches are helpful. In the first case, I understand the sensitivity, but when we hear “no foul play” - where does everyone’s mind go? Right to possible suicide. Getting texts & DMs on this all the time after stories break, the notes are similar to: “looks like another tragic one”…&..”what else could it have been?” So, we are doing ourselves no favors by believing we are protecting the deceased & their families, by covering up the possible cause of death. Because of how secretly it’s talked about - the perception is - it must be a shameful thing if they AREN’T discussing it. And as we can see what happened these past few days with Rachel Minaya (wife of Omar from the New York Mets & now New York Yankees & mother of Justin, from the Trail Blazers, & Teddy)- this possible cause of death is shamed so much, that when it’s at first NOT suspected, the papers rush out & say “it does not appear to be a suicide.” We do not report this way w ANY other cause of death. The end result of all of this is - suicide is looked at as a shameful act. “Committing” something, like we have been trying to move away from for so long. And all this current way does is prevent future help seeking as folks ponder - “I must be doing something BAD for these thoughts to be in my head, & I’m gonna be judged for sharing.” This, as opposed to the reality - suicidal thoughts are like a heart attacks of the nervous system. They happen TO people - just like cancer & diabetes. We are missing the mark. As for the shirt I’m wearing in this video, thanks to Shauna Griffiths for starting your #LeadershipAthlete initiative, & honored share your message as we get these messages out about mental health (I’ll take a size larger next time ;)). #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #mentalhealth #reporting #linkedinsports

Amazing how quiet the last week+ has been, huh? And we wonder why Buddhist monks who go live in a cave meditating for years at a time seem to have the healthiest lives. Just wanted to share a post being somewhat sarcastic, but real at the same time. WHAT THE ___, has this last week + been? The greatest script writers couldn’t come up with all of this concurrently. Unless you’re living in a hole (or that cave), the likelihood is, it’s impacted you in some way. Even if you tune the news out…even if you curate your feeds on social to not follow certain accounts or topics: friends & fam are talking about what’s going on…there’s a collective feeling in the atmosphere of uncertainty…we have no idea what the global landscape is going to look like in the coming months/year…& so this “perception” of control we think we have at times, has been lifted from us. Our tendency as humans is to stay in our mind…& try to figure things out. That sometimes works in the short run…but, it never works in the long run. Just a friendly org reminding you to ground yourself at times like this by doing practices or exercises that get you out of your mind & INTO your BODY. Wont be able to describe them all here but things like: somatic body scans, actual grounding barefoot on the earth, havening, integrative breath work, yin yoga…those are just some of the STARR (Stress & Trauma Active Release & Rewiring) Exercises we championx worth centering yourself with now. If you need some starter info on any, just DM us. Feel well! #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #election #election2024 #bizarroworld #isthisreallife #mentalhealth #groundingi

Important topic about company decision making, given this is Linked-In. Imagine being on an executive team of a large publicly traded company (or in our world, the mental health world, a large nonprofit) & believing that your collective OPINON on a very macro social or political topic/issue, 1) represents how everyone in the company feels, 2) represents how the majority of your customers or supporters feel, & 3) won’t alienate a huge number of people who feel differently, who are would-be customers or supporters, & even a large number of your employees. Company executives see the “like” button being hit on posts they share, or posts from others that share their same OPINIONS on very divisive macro topics/issues - & they falsely believe that those OPINIONS are the “right” ones, on the “right side of history” bc of how many likes accrue. Here’s what they don’t see/think about, as they share those very divisive views, is: There is no DISLIKE button on social media. Large like counts are only a product of how many people in your echochamber get fed your post. So, you see a few negative comments on posts that take your “side” & think that’s a fringe minority. But the reality is, w topics that impact this many people globally - it’s not a minority. You are alienating a LOT of people by taking such a bold stance. We saw this w Adidas re-releasing a shoe from the 1972 Olympics (where 11 Israelis were murdered by Palestinian militants), at a time we are amidst a war in the Middle East w those parties entangled! Adidas then doubled down hiring Bella Hadid - an outspoken Palestinian supporter. But money talks & w the uproar this decision brought about, they had to pull/change the campaign this weekend. Adidas execs really didn’t believe the product selection & endorses selection would lead to this type of hit on their brand from many? This is what I see in the MH space, when these large orgs decide to take a “side” & represent that national holidays or events in our history don’t exist. They think too, they are on the “right side” of history. They don’t realize how many they are alienating & offending. I’m all for companies making social impact. But pick topics that unite us: global hunger, literacy, homelessness. To pick a side on such divisive issues hurts our unity, our MH, & if they need motivation to stop - their bottom line. #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #adidas #israelpalestine #mentalhealth #corporatesocialresponsibility

Usually pretty mild mannered in these videos, I got heated in this one in the moment bc our media, & then our society taking its lead, gets the topic of mental health/illness/disorders/complications (all listed to show how many diff ways they talk abt it), all wrong. Whenever there’s a tragic incident - the media goes into “what’s the motive” mode, & the first question asked is: Did they have a mental illness/history of MH complications? 1) If they did, it’s pinned right on THAT as THE reason. 2) If they didn’t, THAT explanation gets crossed off the list (like what’s happened in this case). Our mental HEALTH - is NOT binary…not something you “have or don’t have.” By the logic above, someone could’ve: lost both parents at a young age, been sexually abused, watched their cousin get murdered, BUT bc they never raised their hand to go to a doc to get diagnosed, they have “no history of MH complications.” When will we realize that people AVOID going to doctors to get a diagnosis - either ever, or until things get so bad they have no choice…& in some offices & schools you’re penalized if you get a diagnosis. Folks in careers like the military/first responders have their responsibilities taken away if they’re open abt their struggles. And even in corporate offices - still in 2024, many confide in me - the drawback of being open and how responsibilities are taken away. Take whatever bias you have about the shooter away - whether you think he worked alone or for others…what we DO know from classmates is: He was bullied, he sat alone at lunch, he was considered a loner, he got made fun of for the clothes he wore (not to make him a sympathetic figure, just sharing the facts from the interviews they have done). But again by the logic above, because he didn’t have a diagnosis, MH is not being discussed any more. That’s like saying - someone dies of a heart attack, but they must not have had plaque build-up because they never went to a cardiologist to look in their arteries…so their heart must have just exploded, with nothing leading to that outcome. The reality is - we ALL have MH, we ALL are susceptible to the EVENTS in our lives & our thoughts related to those events tanking our MH - diagnosis or not. When events like this happen we gotta stop asking IF MH was involved (bc you don’t shoot anyone unprovoked if your MH is well), & gotta start asking - what happened to them in their lives up to this point, that would drive them to hurt other humans. That is the only way we work to prevent these in the future. We’re still so far from this universal reality & the way these things get covered & even investigated, continues to move us backwards. #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #mentalillness #thomasmatthewcrooks #motive #mentalhealth #shooter #bullied

We lost 3 major public figures yesterday on the SAME day - it’ll especially hit hard to those who were around in the 80s/90s. Shannen Doherty, Dr Ruth, & Richard Simmons were fixtures on our TV sets before all the options now available online. First, it’s on to feel sad about their losses. It can feel like we knew them, personally. Second, just want to give a huge thanks to Richard Simmons specifically. At a time when we were learning about Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart as school kids…he was up on stage with his quirky outfits helping people to get their heart rates up. He NORMALIZED being active - at a time when we didn’t have a gym on every corner like we do now. My hope is, we can get to a world with mental health, like Richard helped us get to with Physical health. Is it gonna be harder? Yes. You can’t see inside your head and it’s not a vanity play the way physical health is. But it’s going to take many leaders with the fervor and energy Richard had, to normalize brain health, the way he did health or the body - for ALL. #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #richardsimmons #shannendoherty #drruth #rip #loss #sweatintotheoldies #workingout #mentalhealth

So tired of the partisanship. I see so many mental health charities doing/saying NOTHING right now, after we as a country/world just witnessed one of the most traumatic things we can possibly see: an attempt on the life of a major public figure/presidential candidate. What we witnessed with Damar Hamlin - everyone spoke about - it was a traumatic event. Mass shootings - everyone talks about - they are traumatic. Here, bc the target is someone that a “side” doesn’t like, it doesn’t get addressed. It’s disgusting. Doesn’t matter if you love Trump, hate that man, or are somewhere inbetween - it’s incumbent upon LEADERS, if they are actually LEADERS in this space, to speak up now. One attendee lost their life. We saw a candidate bloodied and shot. That puts our own world view in flux. It makes us think about our own mortality. It makes us think of the violence that continues to go on in many spots around the country & the fear of not being safe, no matter where you go. PLEASE talk about this and process it with others. Do not keep it to yourself. Call a friend, a family member, a neighbor. Go on a community board if needed. DM us if it’s helpful…but don’t let the what-ifs, and other questions circulate in your brain and body after what you just saw. This is how trauma imbeds itself and then grows and does silent damage. Let’s hope nothing like this ever happens again. Take care of you. #SameHere🤙 #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #assasination #trump #mentalhealth #shooting #America #takecareofyou

I WISH I’d known this when I first when through my greatest struggle phase. We have a chance to be our greatest ally, or our own worst enemy. The enemy part - we don’t do it to ourselves to be mean - we do it because we don’t know any better, and no one teaches us how the nervous system works/fluctuates. So you feel these symptoms that get labeled as: Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, & so on…or maybe you get more detailed symptoms like the dissociation we have been discussing - and you do what you’ve always done when you haven’t felt well - you go into FIX IT MODE. What do I need to do right now to make this better & make this go away??? That works w putting ice on an ankle or finding a massager on our shoulder. It doesn’t work with stressing about what to do for our MH symptoms. We go into a HIGH sympathetic state of arousal, which just intensifies the the symptoms. Well, you can’t ignore it either…doing so doesn’t produce the desired result. But you do have to learn to “accept the suck”..that it’s just a PHASE, & that if you do the work (what we call STARR) you WILL get better in time. As far as a recommendation for allowing the suck just to be: check out a book by Dr Steven C. Hayes on “ACT” Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, called: “A Librated Mind.” Hope helpful… #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #acttherapy #acceptance #commitment #letitbe #sympatheticnervoussystem #mentalhealth #surivivethesuck

Guilty of being an over-analyzer, but I hope this is a helpful guide to discussing Inside Out 2, with your kids/friends, as I’m hearing so many who have seen it, now talk about it. This is just one person’s opinion: so many strong points throughout the movie…and yet at a time we need media like this to help start important convos, so much nuance still to discuss that wasn’t included/was even missed, in the movie. The slides should be enough that a long caption isn’t needed (apologies I have no idea how to do a carousel, but sliding through it should connect linearly). Feel free to disagree, to challenge, to share opinions in comments or on DMs. Tagged some folks who like to discuss these topics but feel free to chime in if I missed you. Thanks! #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #Emotions #Anxiety #insideout2 #insideOut #disney #pixar #synopsis #fear #anger #sadness #joy #mentalhealth #feelings

Happy July 4th on behalf of #SameHere Global. We are told so often in this space - “practice gratitude.” And yet, for political reasons, for reasons of ideology of donors, we have SO many organizations who don’t even acknowledge July 4th, & the freedoms we enjoy here, that aren’t enjoyed in SO many other countries around the world. Many of these orgs get funds FROM the American tax payers/government. Is America perfect? Far from. Are we amidst a lot of division? Yes. Has American done things that are blemishes on our record & continue to be? Absolutely. But with all that said - we aren’t going to be grateful for where we live & what freedoms we do have? We don’t go through our gratitude practice & say - I’m grateful I have roof over my family’s head…BUT, my bills are way too high, the landlord stinks, and there are cracks in the walls. Instead we are grateful we have a place to live when many others don’t. Not many things we are grateful for, are perfect. I find it very hypocritical, the groups that celebrate everything else, & pretend like America’s birthday doesn’t exist. Living in this country, relative to the lack of freedoms that exist elsewhere, there is something for ALL of us to be grateful for. Happy July 4th to all who celebrate. And thanks to our service folks for keeping us safe. #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #America #july4th #july4 #grateful #patriotism #thankful #beproud #linkedinsports

We get to choose. It often doesn’t feel that way when we’re spiraling - more symptoms, feeling like we’re in a bottomless pit…but we do, we get to choose. I’ve shared in a number of videos now, how the frequency of calls/texts/emails I’m getting, is increasing rapidly. Bottom line w that is, we’re facing a tough time as a world. If you ever wondered if you’re alone in your struggles, I promise you, now more than ever, you are far from alone. But I know to many, that’s not comfort enough. I wrote this particular post bc of the commonalities in what I’m hearing on those calls/texts/emails. Things like: - “I’m desperate bc I’ve tried everything there is, & nothing has worked & I feel like I’m at a dead end.” - “I’ve seen so many doctors & they can’t figure out ‘what’s wrong’…they’ve tried so many things but nothing helps me feel better.” - “I keep fearing what I have is permanent. It never seems to improve. I don’t know how someone can live like this.” The doctor who saved my life…at the end of my first appt, he said: Eric here are 15 things we can try…& if those don’t work, there are 15 after that, & 15 after that. That was such a HUGE departure from previous “top docs” I’d seen, who gave me 52 meds over 2.5 yrs, TMS therapy, & then inpatient told me my “last resort” was ECT (what many of us know as shock therapy). The reason we call STARR (Stress & Trauma Active Release & Rewiring), a “Gym for the Brain” is bc there are soooo many things you can try - from Yin Yoga to Havening to EMDR to IFS, etc. We have a list of 30+ of them on the SameHere Scale app, alone w over 10 of them available w instructions. I share this so no one loses hope. There is no “last resort.” There are SO many things we can try. When we get curious, we find passion to heal. When we stay frustrated, we stay stuck. Use your frustration to fuel curiosity. We can do this! #SameHere #5in5 #BeHereTomorrow #healing #perspective #youcandoit #mentalhealth #suicideprevention