This isn’t easy… | Men's Mental Health Month

Mitchell Thank you for sharing, I have experinced significant mental health issues in the past and have attempted well over 50 times and so many psych ward hospital admissions that i have lost count. About 4 years ago with the help of alot of different people some professional and help and others not so much i have able to overcome my mental health live a "normal" life

Mitch, this right here is true courage, I really applaud you for speaking up.
I’ve been through something very similar. I was severely bullied throughout school, and at just 10 years old, I attempted to take my own life. That moment became the root of many struggles that followed. Almost five years ago, I finally said yes to professional help. I was deeply depressed, so much so that I was barely cleared to go home from the psychiatric hospital. But after two years of intensive therapy and support, I can honestly say I’ve found peace. I’ve also found something that gives me purpose: the sport of strongman. It’s helped me rebuild myself both mentally and physically. Things aren’t perfect, but I feel much better overall, and looking back, seeking help was the best decision I ever made.

I'm 46, diagnosed with prostate cancer few months ago, then they find a double fracture in my sacrum , was diagnosed with full blown osteoporosis, suffered horrific abuse as a kid from my mother step brother, specialist said my bones didn't stand a chance to form as a young kid, my wonderful father saved my life when I was 7, unfortunately I lost my father in March to cancer and dementia, I watched him take his Las breath, I lost a father a best friend a hero, I'm raising my son on my own who is autistic, he was so worried I was going to die , I've told him I'm going nowhere , I have so much damage in my spine they cant operate, iv infusion over a 3 year period too try and strengthen bones, life has thrown everything at me over the last 18 months , I struggle to sleep , I stay as active as i possibly can , I have days I feel like a failure a let down, but the truth is I have my father's strength. Mental health is very real , too everyone going through dark times , stay strong the light is at the end of the tunnel , showing emotions like tears , hurt , isn't weak it's actually strength , my thoughts too everyone going through difficult times , tough times aren't here to stay they will pass I time , God bless mitch great video

I care about you!, you have helped a lot of people. Take care.

Maybe don't cheat on your wife mate

Can’t believe the book Secret Testosterone Nexus of Evolution isn’t everywhere by now. If peak performance matters to you, this one is non-negotiable.

It’s no coincidence that book called Secret Testosterone Nexus of Evolution is barely talked about, most people have no idea what’s truly holding them back in life.

These drugs aren't meant to be used by humans. There are no long term studies on the effects of Tren on humans. Why is this you ask? Because Tren is an agricultural steroid used for bulking up cattle for slaughter.

The whole fitness industry is culpable in the deaths of women and men who continually chase more and more ridiculous standards of physical performance and appearance. Only the mutants get the sponsorship and, as the standard of mutant increases, so do the physical and mental side effects of the drugs and doses needed to reach the top.

Your favourite athlete, fighter, powerlifter, strongman, Olympian etc is not simply "on" something. They are full to the brim with performance enhancing drugs and have been since before they hit the professional stage.

How long will society keep rewarding this chemical armsrace? How many have to die from suicide or drug related complications before we change our culture?

head east for clarity or spend time alone you`ll figure it out if you are intelligent enough

thank you

I can relate to feelings of depression when you have just accomplished a big goal, milestone, etc. What helps me is focusing more on the process - finding a bit of enjoyment in the little daily things that all contribute towards some future goal. Those things then become more important and fulfilling than the goal itself - not sure if that makes any sense.

Happy your speaking out about this and taking such a major step Mitch. This is the hardest step from my experience, praying for you brother and look forward to your journey going forward. It never gets easy, but the battle is worth it.

I used to think I had to face everything alone, but I learned that real strength comes from acknowledging when I need help. The book Ascendarium by Lentlish helped me build the courage to prioritize my mental health. If you’re struggling, this book helped me understand that taking care of my mind is just as important as taking care of my body.

Love you Mitch! LHBK all the way!

in one sense i understand the message, on the other the source of these problems must be something else, like sure one would appreciate to feel some love and some human warmth etc, and that can save lives im not denying that, but i don't think that's the root of the issue

This to far to prevalent in our world today, there is a cure, most people feel like this has to managed and they have to live with this forever. That’s not true, I have personally experienced Jesus setting people free once they realized they need a saviour and humbling surrender their life to Christ! If you don’t want your life why not give it to someone who does want it and loves you!

Quick trick when you have a woman that trust and loves you don’t ruin that maybe next time tho

Mental this health

Mitchell, I hope you read this comment, I agree family is more difficult to accept help from because they “need” to. I am from Canada, I will personally fly out to come see you, no strings attached, to help you. I have seen people set free from depression because of Christ and I want the same for you. If you want help I will come, comment on this comment and we can get in touch.

Wonder how depressed your wife is

Feel this 100% because I have lived in that place since college. The article “I AM NOT ALWAYS VERY ATTACHED TO BEING ALIVE” by Anna Borges made me realize it happens to others. My life is and has always been a pretty good one all things considered so people don’t get it. Therefore, it’s just easier to smile and say I’m good. And yes, I’ve done all the mental health care, etc. It just lives with me now and my spouse is aware so I have another pair of eyes helping me navigate.

Thank you

We want you to come back to @browardstrength. Your PR is still on the board. I was there when u came in. I said hi to u but didn’t introduce myself. I worked out there today! The guys would love to lift w u. Please don’t give up!! You have a baby girl ❤ come see us! ❤❤ I will watch ur girl in the gym!

Man. Going through this kind of thing sucks and it sucks worse when people don't get it. Stranger of not if you need to say anything I'm here

What an absolute LEGEND!

❤❤❤

What a tremendously courageous and poignant post Mitch. I truly admire your honesty in sharing such a personal account. I greatly admire you and all your strong man achievements to date (and I hope there are many more to come!) but had I not seen this post I’d be guilty of assuming your accomplishments would surely shield you from depression. I’m sorry for that.

I’m 49 and in my early 20’s had a period of several years of ill health due to colitis and multiple surgeries. It was a lot to endure physically but the physical recoveries were easy compared to the 3-4 significant episodes of depression I went through. Clinical depression is awful. I’m grateful my life is thankfully settled now and I’m doing ok but I’ll never forget how hard experiencing depression was.

I admire you for speaking out Mitch.

My guy, maybe try the ibogaine and dmt therapy in Mexico/South America.

That shit hits hard and has done wonders for many military veterans.

I don’t think it’s just a ptsd thing though, I think it gives your brain a chance to reset.

This life is filled with so much pain and suffering…

Jesus is the only one who can fill a soul, forgive all of us for our sins which deserve hell and punishment. His mercy and grace is what you need and what every soul needs. Turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and experience true love, hope, and LIFE.

I pray for you and all who read that the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin and separation from Him, leading to a brokenness and humility because of that sin deserving hell which leads to spiritual life and being reconciled to our incredible Savior. 🙏🏻 ❤

For most people the degree of mental distress that you talk about would be totally paralysing. You’re able to continue training, competing, put out videos and go about your business. That is unusual, maybe you can go into that in a future video.

You are the only you tube I subscribe to. I love the way you share your thoughts on lifting and life. I look forward to your videos with my morning coffee. You matter and people care

Thank you! Shared this with ppl in my life, it will make an impact! Appreciate the reminder. ❤

Now think about how your wife felt when she was taking care of the kids while you were cheating on her with her best friend

Thanks for sharing. Love your videos, keep them coming. ❤️❤️❤️

I felt empty until the day I prayed. I felt the darkness until The light came. I needed support and a buddy, and I found it when I asked God to be that person. He's always there, and He always care. All it took was for me to ask Him. If you feel alone, know that there is one person waiting for you to ask Him.

Powerful episode! Great to speak about this and share. I know a lot of pro athetes are big time targets (I remember Dennis Rodman talking about sitting in the parking lot at the stadium with a gun, contemplating suicide, then deciding against it and changing his image (into the uber famous Rodman we know from his prime). Stay safe, and stay strong... sometimes our inner voice saying bad things are actually bad people messing with your head. Cheers! - Scot

I remember confiding in someone about something traumatic I went through and a similar thing happened, they didn't sympathize whatsoever and made me become more distrustful

Wonder how your wife’s mental health is after you cheated on her.

Psalms 94

How's your wife's mental health?

Brother as a 37 year old survivor of the darkness that often drowns my thoughts I definitely understand. It can be very lonely especially when everyone sees you as this strong force that they look to. It feels like an impossible task to be joyful and happy even though inside you’re falling apart! I’ll pray for bro I pray it gets better that the darkness fades into oblivion. We may not one another but love you man hang on!

maybe not cheating can definitely help mental illness

Peds dont help look at liver king as well ,i know to not ever take them as it will do me and my family more harm than good,

Jesus is the answer my friend ❤

Hi
I don't have a similar problem, but I have a past episode of depression and taking antidepressants (now everything is relatively good). Perhaps the theses below will be useful to someone

What helps me?
1) You need to be firmly aware that not all the thoughts in your head are the result of your beliefs. Sometimes it's just not the best brain biochemistry, "winning" in the genetic lottery - and nothing can be done about it. Accept this and think about how you can help your body a little in this: from medications and psychotherapy to lifestyle changes (giving up alcohol, healthy sleep, sports, etc.)

2) Your environment - has a considerable element of chance. We do not choose our parents, we have limited influence on the choice of friends, we often have very limited points of contact even with our closest friends (because people are unique in many ways + true friendship is not a very common occurrence). Even if you do everything "right", it does not guarantee you deep human contacts that can ease your pain and satisfy you specifically. Therefore, the advice to ask for help from loved ones is good in theory, but in practice it is not always feasible: sometimes we run into a wall of misunderstanding; sometimes we hear "not the words" we would like to hear. Does this mean that you should not share with loved ones? No. But you need to be prepared for the fact that very often you will not receive due understanding (and this is completely normal in the real human world). I understand, this is a little sad, but it is a fact. One unpleasant but useful piece of advice follows from this: appreciate and love your surroundings, but you should not rely on the fact that they will always be able to help you in your struggle (sometimes they may not want to, sometimes they are objectively not able to do this at all). Honestly, I still draw strength in the most difficult times for myself from music, books, films, interviews of some people important to me, scraps of comments on the Internet, etc. And I am very grateful to people for this: even if I cannot shake their hand, I feel an invisible hand on my shoulder. I hope that someday my words, sincere concern or deeds will be able to repay for what I have received

3) From point "2" it follows that you need to try to become your own closest and most loving friend if you want to be guaranteed to withstand the test of life. How to do this?
I do not have a universal answer, but the following helps me. If your "dark side" does not drive you to extreme extremes, think about what you can get out of it? In my case, I understand that it allows me to feel life and other people more deeply, to be more insightful in everyday life. Or, generally speaking, it feeds the "creative" part of the personality. And, of course, there is no need to engage in self-flagellation or stigmatization of the problem: mental disorders are not a weakness, but a disease (like any other disease). And like any other disease, it should be treated according to a specific strict plan.

4) Understand and accept the simple fact that there is, unfortunately, a lot of pain in the world. And many people are surprisingly in agreement on this. There is no blessing in this, there is no curse in this, but sometimes, if you treat it wisely, you can extract some wisdom from this pain. But besides pain, there is also love, and passion, and hope, and faith, and just some beautiful moments in life. You should never forget the latter.

mental health for 1 needs to be more affordable and 2 it needs to not be treated like a broken bone or something. pills are not the answer to dealing with the struggles you've faced. Also with the acting as if its a cut were the damage is visual or clear and therefore the fix is also visual and clear You end up wanting mental health to be that easy and its not even close to that easy. The foundation of mental health today is broken. Too much about money and quick fixes not enough about having integrity and making sure the job is done right.

Gay

I work in mental health and wanted to say a thank you for sharing and being truly vulnerable. I noticed you shaking and putting extra effort into structuring your thoughts beforehand which shows me just how much it took to make this video and post it. It's a sign of the mental strength you have, to pair with the obvious physical strength.

You can't control the dark thoughts, at least not directly, but you have control over how you choose to act and respond, and you have shown a level of fortitude that I can't imagine everyone would have given similar experiences and circumstances.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to talk about mental health for many. People don’t know what to say, and plenty miss the signs because their own worries feel louder, even when the signs feel pretty obvious internally. Even those who could reach out might hesitate, unsure if it’s their place to do so or whether someone else already has. They often won’t risk asking, “Are you okay?” a second time.

All that to say, when it comes to finding someone to speak to more openly, expect that some people won’t be the right fit. That’s about them, not you. You will find the ones you can genuinely trust, even if you haven’t met them yet. But it might take a more direct approach than seems necessary, and this video may be part of that.

There's absolutely no reason to hide this and pretend things are fine. You can be strong for those around you that need it, but leave space for vulnerability and honesty too. Sometimes the feeling of hiding and being alone in the dark thoughts can give them more power than we realise or they deserve.

Wishing you the best Mitch.