In Their Words…Matt
We have come to learn just how much men appreciate reading/listening to the stories of other men who have dealt with depression, anxiety, and the challenges that go along with these conditions. I have reached out to the 140 men who attend our support groups and asked them if they would be willing to share a story that was important to them that relates to the struggles they have had. I have made no edits to the content of what they wrote and the words that follow are those of the man who wrote them. Today I am sharing a story by Matt, who attends a Face It Men’s group.
Joining Face It is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I used to go through life thinking that I was worthless and alone. I got lazy in every part of my life and let it spiral out of control until I finally hit a bottom.
The interesting part is that I coach sports. Every year, every day I would talk about trusting your team and working hard to make yourself better. But I struggled to practice what I preached. That seemed to compound my shameful feeling.
Luckily, I found Face It. What I have learned in my time with Face It is that all the things I say as a coach hold true in my life as well, and especially when dealing with depression. I also must believe in it. What that means first, is that you must put some work in to get results back. It makes you better to go to the meetings, just like going to practice makes you better in sports. Going to group helps to give you a game plan to attack depression and anxiety.
You are going to face situations that could send you back down the path of depression, but with Face It, you are better prepared. The thing you heard in group that you might have thought was the smallest piece of information, could be the big piece to help you in a tough time. One thing I have learned is that you don’t have to attack all the problems at one time. Instead of looking at the world as a huge mountain that you’ll never reach the top of, look at every small step to work towards getting to the top.
Continue putting in the effort and it will help you reach your goals step by step. Can it be difficult to commit to the time? Yes, it can be. Is it scary to sometimes step outside of your comfort zone? Yes, it can be. Is it worth it? Heck yes it is!
Having tools and a game plan is one thing, but the most important part of Face It are the people that you interact with. It is the best team I have ever been around. Everyone there is working together to help each other. You can trust that when you are struggling, your team is there to support you. When you fall, they will help pick you up. No one is there to be better than anyone else. The only goal is that everyone in the room is working to get better. It is great to know that “You are Not Alone.”
Now I don’t feel shameful when I talk about working hard and trusting your team! Thanks to Face It I am better able to do that myself.
Please feel free to reach out to me at mmeier@faceitfoundation.org with questions or thoughts and I will pass them along to Matt.
Take care!
Mark