Garrett Aalfs - #42

What would you have done had you won the recent massive lottery jackpot?  If you're Minnesotan, apparently the answer is "buy a cabin".  After that, you could spend the remanining several hundred million on mental health.  Or you could just come visit the FaceIt Foundation instead.  Andy did the latter, and his mental health journey began when he was seeing psychologists as a child.  He discovered FaceIt through a friend of a friend (who happened to be Mark Meier), but now you've discovered it through us.

Today there's no guest, and not only that, but Mark Meier couldn't make it in either. What a lonely show. And what a perfect time to talk about loneliness. It affects many, if not most, men. But people also have a hard time knowing what loneliness truly is. It's not just being alone. Learn the nuances and maybe make some new friends courtesy of the Face It Foundation.

When most people hear "bipolar", they think of a moody person.  Sometimes they're unusually happy, sometimes they're the opposite.  That's one of the reasons it can be so difficult to get people to take bipolar disorder seriously.  Mania is not happiness, and depression is not unhappiness.  Whereas happiness and unhappiness are normal, mania and depression are not, and they can mess your life up before you even realize it happened.  You're also usually the last person to know if you have either, so make sure and pay attention to what people have to say.

This is a show about interviewing men, talking about their struggles, and illuminating the path toward recovery.  At least, that's what it's usually about.  But today we decided to do something a little different.  We're talking about us.  How this podcast came to be, how Face It itself was founded, and a bit of background on each of the hosts.  We've gotten to know you over the years, now it's time to get to know us.

Horses need dentists too.  In fact, they have more numerous and much bigger teeth, so they arguably need them even more than we do.  Clint is one such dentist.  But just because he has the kind of job every 6 year old boy would want doesn't mean life is easy.  His upbringing was tough and he had a near death experience that haunted him for years.  The best he - and you - can do is to live in the moment, not the past.

Success is a double edged sword.  For most, it primarily means financial security.  But it also means long hours, frequently bringing your work home with you, and a lot of stress.  Where there's stress, there's coping mechanisms.  And where there are coping mechanisms, alcohol seems to always be right around the corner.  Learn how Tom has managed to own a business and have young children in the house without relying on substances to help him through the day.  Yes, it can be done.

There have been a lot of inventions.  Many are good.  But what if you could erase one?  Use your power wisely.  And no, depression is unfortunately not an invention.  It is, however, an insidious force that can not only sap your energy to do anything, but it can transform into things like anxiety.  The more a wound festers, the harder it is to treat; this is true of both physical wounds as well as emotional ones.

Bill's time at sea has made him go full nautical and start growing a beard.  How will this new chapter in his life play out?  Only time will tell.  Garrett doesn't have a seaworthy beard, but he does have a tale to tell.  It's a tale of having young children, a job, and a wife.  Many of us have been there, and most would agree that domestic bliss comes with its share of stressors.  Everyone copes somehow, and luckily Face It was there to help.

If you were a boat, what kind of boat would you be?  The only reason this question makes any sense is because we all know what kind Bill would be: the kind that he's on.  For the rest of us stuck in studio, we're listening to the soundtracks of our lives rather than the sea breeze.  It might not always be your favorite song, but it's your soundtrack.  Try to write something you like. 

What vegetable is best?  This may seem like an unimportant question, but it's actually vital to today's discussion.  Okay, that's not true at all.  We just wanted to talk about vegetables.  The real important topic of the day is lingering anger issues about being victimized.  It's not healthy to bury your feelings, but it's equally unhealthy to let them control you.  Finding the balance can be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do.