Entry #1
I can't tell you how good it feels to type on this thing. I'm so serious. It even has an old timey smell. Probably just means I need to clean it. Anyways.. I wanted to start this weekly update to kind of show what I'm up to. There's so much work that goes into everything I'm working on, and I want to share it with everyone.
How I've come to the Weekly Journal: I love to journal. I've been doing it every day for about a year. It's something I look forward to everyday. I make time to write in the journal. I get to work an hour early so I can sit in my truck by myself with no interruptions, and write down anything that comes to mind. Anything at all. It doesn't matter. I can make spelling errors (and I do), make punctuation or spelling mistakes, anything. It does not matter. Nobody will ever read this. It is my private inner thoughts that have space on this paper. I choose to get them out of my head, and written down as a way to organize my thoughts. It's freeing. In my journal I write how I want to write and that's it. Errors be damned. Opinions be damned. This is for fun. I just love doing it. And If I already spend an hour every day writing out my thoughts, how hard could it be to do one of them as a recap day. A summary of what happened that week. Not that hard I can't imagine
Last weekend actually I woke up early, before the house was stirring, and I got the typewriter out to send some letters. I just loved spending that morning solitude typing words to paper and that click click sound. Then I figured what the heck, I may as well do the weekly journal on the typewriter- and here we are!
How will I get the final version on the internet? I don't know. Maybe a picture will be good enough. Perhaps I'll have to type it digitally as well?? I'm really not very sure. I am sure that I'm going to have fun doing it, andI hope that you have fun reading along. Mental health is really important to me, and it's a passion to learn about. Awareness and casual conversation about this topic are extremely important and really in demand right now. Veterans, men, women, adults, children, everyone has struggled with something. My mission is to destigmatize mental health, and to give space for conversations like this to happen.
I make every effort I can to learn as much about this topic as I can. Through online classes and webinars, phone calls, and connections in the community, I'm finding out so much about mental health. I'm finding out so much about some of my friends. Dozens of people I've known at one point or another - some from work, some from the military, some from the internet. All of them have a commonality and that is struggle. This work is for you guys. The ones who follow and watch and have been there before - this is for you. I know you'll read this. Thank you for being here. I love you guys.
WARNING: Mental health touches on some really vulnerable topics. I cover topics such as anxiety, depression, and suicide. As sensitive as they are, I believe they need to be talked about. I live with anxiety and depression, and have lived very close to suicide. Suicide has shaped my life. It was a single pivotal moment in my teens that formed the basis of my forever form. There's not a day goes by that I'm not affected by that loss of my best friend. The single death of a suicide is powerful. That death touches hundreds. And it hurts. And when it's something you consider for yourself, it's always there. An awareness that never goes away. A silent foe who waits patiently. It's a hard battle to fight, but it's easier with others. Reaching out for help has always saved me. If you are someone that deals with thoughts of suicide, wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up. If you've had thoughts of killing yourself. If you have ever had thoughts about how you would kill yourself. And if you've made a plan you are not alone. You're not the only one having these thoughts. You are, however, considered a HIGH risk and should reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you're in that place right now please take this as a sign to go on just one more day. Just one more day. And please reach out for help. Even if you're not on the edge right now, but you've had feelings of extreme depression, guilt or shame - Or need someone to talk to you can call the 988 number. They will help. I've called them myself and they really care and want you to get the help you need.
Some people don't like to talk about these topics. Some people don't know how to talk about them. Some people may want to bring it up to someone they care about but not know how. They don't know what to say. It's hard to find the words for something like this. You don't have the language for it, because where have you ever been taught this? Where has such a topic ever been discussed? I meet a lot of people who tell me what they're going through, they describe some of the most stressful situations I can imagine.. then they say "welp.. that's life" and they push it down until it's forgotten about so they can put on a brave face for the family. For friends. For everyone. They won't even admit to themselves that maybe something is hurting them. Be an adult and deal with it. Suffer in silence I was always told on long ruck marches when my feet hurt and the rain won't stop. There's such a stigma baked into mental health. To complain and to reach out for help feels against the grain. Nobody else is saying anything, why should I? You start thinking that nobody else is feeling the way I am so I'll keep it to myself. Then you find out all of our feet hurt. We all fight the same rain that pours down on us and instead of speaking up and asking for help, we push through. Carry on. Handle it. Even though the dude in front of you has been here before and knew to pack extra socks. If you tap him on the shoulder, he will gladly share with you his dry goods.
UPCOMING:
Right now I'm working on a video about the American Legion that I'm really excited about. My goal is to produce one video every other week and push it out on Wed. You would think this would be plenty of time. Me too. With working full time, having a 13mo daughter, and regular responsibilities, just like everyone else in the world, I find myself what I like to call, Busy. As I'm sure many of you can relate, there never seems to be enough time in the day. It always seems, I am running out of time.
I'm also working on learning how to distribute my videos across different platforms, like Youtube, Facebook, groups, etc. Editing remains a struggle that I'm still learning and so cutting to make short videos is really difficult.
I have multiple exciting interviews lined up with veterans I served with. These are scheduled for the next couple months and something I want to take time to make sure I do as good of a job as I can. There's a city council meeting I would like to attend, an update from Voices for Suicide Prevention Advocacy, and a webinar exploring how AI intersects with suicide prevention all coming up in the next couple weeks.
Don't have a good day. Have a GREAT day.
Logan Williams
Founder, Rising Valor