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Transcript

Episode 86: Choice and Change: A Personal Exploration of Mental Health · Voices for Voices®

• 0:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: Chapter 1, the Journey Begins.
• 0:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: Some have a straight and boring path, some are winding and exciting, some are long, some are short.
• 0:12
  Justin Alan Hayes: But each journey we embark upon is unique and sometimes that journey might spin you around and take you right back to where you started.
• 0:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: From birth to death, we each have a journey in life here on Earth and on that grand journey of life, smaller journeys fill the map, like underground routes, slowly growing and spreading from a tree's trunk.
• 0:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: Every small journey within my life's greater adventure has been different.
• 0:42
  Justin Alan Hayes: For example, even though I travel to my parents' house for Christmas without fail each year, the elements within the journey are always different.
• 0:52
  Justin Alan Hayes: The route itself is identical to the previous year.
• 0:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: From the streets I navigate to the one traffic light glowing red every single time I try to pass.
• 1:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: But perhaps driving in my wife's car that day instead of my own, or arriving a little late because of unplanned traffic alters the journey.
• 1:13
  Justin Alan Hayes: That time the weather could be 80 degrees and sunny, or 10 degrees with a blizzard.
• 1:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: The journey is the same, yet some elements are different.
• 1:23
  Justin Alan Hayes: This basic example illustrates how even the most mundane journey can vary from one trip to another.
• 1:31
  Justin Alan Hayes: Last year I made it to my parents' house for Christmas dinner without incident.
• 1:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: This year, I had to stop for gas five miles into the drive, adding a slight detour and extra 15 minutes to the trip.
• 1:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: Some journeys are stress-free and sometimes others don't go as planned.
• 1:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: It's important to keep in mind that, as with just about everything in the journey of life, there will always be consequences in action and or inaction, as it relates to the decisions one makes.
• 2:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: This is especially important within the context of one's mental health journey.
• 2:13
  Justin Alan Hayes: Actively stopping for gas that day led to my family arriving a little later than planned, while the inaction of letting the gas tank run dry surely would have caused an even later arrival time, leaving us at the mercy of when the AAA, the American Automobile Association, would be available to assist.
• 2:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: Similarly, taking action when I first observed my symptoms would have taken my mental health journey down a smooth and straight path, while my choice of inaction actually led me through a winding uphill course with many bumps along the way, eventually leaving me at the mercy of professionals.
• 2:56
  Justin Alan Hayes: As we all well know, life is not fair to everyone.
• 3:01
  Justin Alan Hayes: In hindsight, it's always 2020.
• 3:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: Had I known the consequences of my inaction as my symptoms were building while my life was spiraling out of control, I might have made some different choices in the moment to ease into a softer landing.
• 3:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: My journey thus far has taken me down some questionable roads.
• 3:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: The map of my mental health journey is unique, winding and frightening.
• 3:29
  Justin Alan Hayes: Inaction has hurled me toward terrible losses.
• 3:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: Inaction has helped me cross the finish line for some pretty incredible wins.
• 3:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: The journey of life may be different for everyone, with no instruction manual or roadmap to follow, but we all experience emotions and react to situations.
• 3:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: We can all help guide each other down similar paths.
• 3:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: You are about to embark on another journey throughout this book, this time with me as your guide.
• 4:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: Raw and unfiltered, I will share my mental health journey with you in its entirety.
• 4:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: I hope that by the end of this book, you will feel empowered to take whatever action it is you need to do at this very moment in your personal journey.