In this informal, holiday‑time YouTube episode of the ongoing "Suicide Prevention Saturday" series, the host reflects on the reality of personal struggle and its connection to suicide prevention. She opens by noting the episode’s timing during the holiday season and explains that the series is essentially a mental‑health awareness platform, not solely about suicide. She shares a personal anecdote about meeting a gym friend who was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder; both she (physically ill) and her friend (dealing with anxiety and depression) struggled to get to the gym, illustrating how different challenges can coexist. The host emphasizes that everyone experiences struggles, regardless of outward appearance, and that recognizing this shared humanity can reduce isolation. She urges viewers to seek help if they feel overwhelmed, providing concrete resources such as dialing 211 and looking up suicide‑prevention services. The episode concludes with holiday greetings, a reminder of the winter solstice, and a preview of the next broadcast schedule.
Chapters
You have me. Um, YouTube, it's a little bit slow. Oh, except now it says here I am. Oh, so anyway, here's week 2 of being sick, but this too shall pass. All right, so hi replay viewers usually, but I see one person already on here, so I am a few minutes late. Uh, thanks for waiting till 10 o'clock. I am, uh, it's holiday time, parties, all that fun stuff. So, uh, let's see, what am I going to talk about tonight? Well, the struggle is real. Hi Courtney, hi Jen, um, hi Lisa. And I guess the short— this is probably going to be a short one because I was thinking about this one, and one of the things we talk about is Suicide Prevention Saturday is not really just all about suicide, it's just really and truly mental health in It's by Gina, my West Coast girl. It's earlier out there in California, assuming she's in California. She's like this crazy jet-setter who I never know what place she happens to be in. She could be watching on a plane right now for all I know. So anywho, um, the struggle is real. Here's the deal, uh, Suicide Prevention Saturday is really Mental Health Saturday in that we all need tuning all the time. We have good days, we have bad days. And, uh, I have a friend who was— yeah, I know, I definitely need to get healthy. I actually, I went to the doc today and she gave me a Z-pack and she said rest and liquids. So after this, I'm going to bed and I'm sleeping in tomorrow and making my children bring me liquids all day in bed. So not really, but anyway, so Suicide Friends Saturday is really about mental health. We all need mental health tricks and tips from time to time. We need to have the ability to reach out. And I think one of the things that helps— hey, Chris— with mental health in general is understanding you are not alone. And that's why the, the title tonight is The Struggle Is Real. Is because everybody has a struggle. Your struggle and my struggle are probably not the same struggle, but everybody struggles. And I want to use the example of my gym date. A friend of mine has just been— was just sort of, um, what's it called, he was diagnosed bipolar, uh, earlier this year. And he had been dealing with anxiety and depression and everything prior to, and significantly self-medicating, but got his, um, he's getting his meds and all that sort of stuff now, so he understands what's going on, so it's easier. Anyway, he and I have a date at the gym, and last Friday I also felt like garbage last week And I woke up and I totally did not want to go to the gym. And so I'm lying in bed and I'm just like, no, I may be sick, but I can still get up and I can still go. And I was meeting him there, and that was really the reason why I was determined to go, because if I was not meeting him there, there is no way I would have gone to the gym last Friday. So we get to the gym and he and I are chatting on the treadmills, and he says the same thing to me in that he had a really rough morning. He was dealing with anxiety, depression, he's got social anxiety, and, um, just didn't want to come either. And he also made it there because he was meeting me. So even though he and I both struggled with different things, like I was just physically sick and he was having mental challenges with anxiety and everything, um, we both struggled to be able to get to the gym that day. And this is sort of the thing I think people forget, is like we don't know somebody else's struggles necessarily. We don't listen to other people's struggles, or we don't ask, because sometimes people tell us their struggles, but we don't equate them to ours. So how does this have anything to do with suicide prevention? Well, mental health is understanding that life sucks and life is hard, and we all have to go through crap, and No one is alone in that. And you may see someone where they're at the top of the game, but sometimes we forget that we all have seasons of our lives. And sometimes you are in the spring and the summer, and other times you are in the fall and the winter. Actually, today, uh, happy winter solstice everyone. Um, today is the shortest day of the year, and I've learned a whole bunch of stuff around it. But anyway, um, so that's it. You're never alone when you are struggling. Everyone else there also has struggles. Some days it is easier to get through the struggles than others. If you are struggling so badly that you need help or you're feeling like you want to harm yourself, make a phone call, 211, go online, look up suicide prevention. There's tons of resources out there. Make sure that you utilize them if you need them. And I think that's really it tonight. It's nothing huge, nothing exciting, nothing groundbreaking, um, but the struggle is real and everybody struggles. And even whoever it is you have on a pedestal that you think is just the most amazing person in the world, because we all have those in our lives, I'm pretty sure, whether it's someone we actually know or if it's like a, um, who's— what's it you know, one of those famous people, regardless of what— whether it's a sports player, a politician, a movie star, whatever— everybody struggles. So most people find comfort in that, knowing that they are never alone. So there you have it. That is my Suicide Prevention Saturday mental health. And thanks for the thumbs up. And that's it for tonight. So Merry Christmas. I will see you all next week. Hey, Peter. Um, gosh, what time is it where you are? You're on like the other side of the world. Um, so anyway, uh, Merry Christmas to everybody. I will see you before next, uh, New Year's Day. And, um, next week it'll go back to 9 PM. Because I don't think I have any parties next Saturday. All right, and I don't know, yeah, so should see you next week, 9. All right everybody, have a lovely spectacular holiday and see you all later. Bye!
