Family

Today is mothers day and nothing is more important than family, for those of us that struggle with some type of mental illness your family is a great support group to include service dogs. Even though your family may not understand everything that you are going through, sometimes all you need to do is ask them to listen and sometimes no feedback is needed you just need to vent and get it out. It is okay not to be okay, we did not ask for what has happened to us, it comes from our work as emergency responders, it may be a single event for someone not involved in emergency services, but what ever it is we all struggle with the same symptoms and the struggles are the same. Last week was very rough for me I had two sessions with my therapist, my thoughts were overwhelming, flashback, vivid dreams, night sweats, but I still pushed forward, I worked out everyday with my personal trainer, we also talked about the things I was going through, she is also a great asset to my support group along with my wife, my family and my k9 Cesar. I am thankful for each and everyday, some days are better than others, even though some people think that what we are going is not real they have just not walked in our shoes and that is okay. We know its real, the important thing is to know that we are struggling and we need help to cope with what we are going through, don't be afraid to ask for help, there are many resources for us so please reach out. I am a true testament to mental illness, I have been through so many tragic events and I have taken the first steps on my journey to healing, I still have a long way to go but with everyday I know I will get there.

Remember that you are not alone in this fight we are all in this together.