PLEASE TAKE A MIN OR 2 TO READ :) I am a 26 year old male that has been fighting against depression and anxiety for the last 10 years. I have always feared telling people about my condition as I thought I would be laughed at and lose my sense of treated as a real man. I went about my life hiding this secret from my family and friends by lying and taking on an alter ego and class clown attitude to boost my own confidence. This allowed me to feel wanted and appreciated by people but was merely a front that I had created. That way of living was extremely taxing on not only my mind but not being honest with loved ones and mates made me feel even worse. When I was first introduced the MMA it helped to open up my mind and emotions to those people and has made a more humble and sincere person. The Discipline and constant learning that MMA has provided me with allowed me to channel my negative thoughts and emotions into constructive and realistic goals. The structured approach and family sense of belonging to something that it also provides allowed me to build my own support network to help me deal with my issues. The relationship with the trainers and other members of the gym that you develop is like no other it’s a big family with everyone there to help each other out. 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety, I honestly reckon that stat would be marginally wrong due to the fact that most males are to afraid to admit they are suffering and I also believe that you cannot have good mental health without good physical health and vice versa. Everyday is a battle and I wanna prove to myself and other guys in a simulars situations that you can push through and your not alone, i will be doing a 14 week challenge leading up to a fight which via video and status updates I will be documenting the physical and mental hurdles that an average person encounters whilst trying to reach their dream. I am hoping that by sharing the journey, that other people suffering from depression and anxiety can realize their dreams and potentials and that no goal is too difficult with the proper preparation and support. My goal is to tackle a 14 week program leading up to my first ever MMA fight and share with you my journey and the physical and mental obstacles that I will be facing and to share the coping mechanisms and support networks that get me through. Hopefully by sharing this other people can mirror or adjust the program to help them achieve their goals too. I am hoping that by sharing my experience and journey I am able to raise awareness to other men about the issue of depression and anxiety and also hope to raise much needed funds for the Beyondblue so they can continue to help other people in similar situations. If you would like to get into being healthy, joining a gym or starting MMA training I am willing to offer my support and guidance to help you break the ice and get involved and hooked on the right path. Or if you are already keeping it healthy at the gym and MMA but are struggling with the mental aspects I am offering my support to keep you interested and have a healthy mind by getting you in touch with people and support systems which can help. I will admit that I am no expert on the subject of mental health issues and hold no university degree but I have experienced it first hand and have trialed and failed numerous times. I believe with my hands on experience as a sufferer I can provide realistic and tried methods to help deal with your situation and help to bridge the gap with professional support if need be.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 06:17:31 +0000