Do you work or live with Veterans? Do you know someone that does? If so, this blog is for you! We dive deep into the realities of depression and despair including PTSD that Veterans in the world have experienced. We include what science shares, some personal and professional experiences and appreciate your engagement on social media to let us know this blog is worth the time writing it. If you stay to the end, you’ll hear about a program We’re really proud about that can benefit Veterans and those that work with them.
#1 Way: 💃🏽 🏃♀️ 🤸♀️ 🧘♀️ 🙏 🦸🏾♀️ 🦸♂️ Know what it looks like to be a Veteran and be Depressed.
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Watch this 1.5min video from Veterans. It’s from the Make The Connection Blog. ⠀
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After watching, we’d love for you to share your personal stories on Twitter and tag us @MoveHappyTeam with some encouragement to others reading this blog ❤️.
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#2 Way: 💃🏽 🏃♀️ 🤸♀️ 🧘♀️ 🙏 🦸🏾♀️ 🦸♂️ Know what are some signs and symptoms of being a Veteran who has Depression.⠀
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The authors from The Connection Blog further discusses the signs and symptoms of depression. Some include: feeling sad or hopeless, losing interest in or not getting pleasure from your daily activities. ⠀
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If any of those sound like you, we recommend calling your doctor or nurse hotline and schedule an appointment via tele-health.⠀
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For those Veterans reading this that got help, what was the deciding factor that made you decide to call your medical provider? ⠀
We’d love you to tag us on LinkedIn with your stories of inspiration so others can be inspired by you. We’ll share your post and give you writer’s credit.
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#3 Way: 💃🏽 🏃♀️ 🤸♀️ 🧘♀️ 🙏 🦸🏾♀️ 🦸♂️ Know what is the global prevalence of Depression in Veterans in the 🌎.
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According to this article from Caitlin Dewey, North Africa and the Middle East are the most prevalent areas for depression. That being said, any soldier that is stationed there for any amount of time is subject to the possibility of depression through vicarious means. ⠀
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Vicarious means a person feels the pain they witness or they hear but don’t go through personally (like a 911 dispatcher or a Veteran Spouse hearing about soldiers dying on a check in call with their Active Duty Veteran).⠀
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It could be a soldier that lives there or is moved there for their work purposes that could experience vicarious depression (or situational depression).⠀
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There is no specific stat that we could find to give exact numbers for diagnosed Veterans and that is probably because of HIPPA laws and also perhaps studies were not done to measure how many post military obligations in different countries. ⠀
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If you’re a Veteran or work with Veterans around the globe, we’d love for you to Tweet us @MoveHappyTeam a pic of you and where you’re reading this from (flag emoji if available) so we can build a strong global community.
#4 Way: 💃🏽 🏃♀️ 🤸♀️ 🧘♀️ 🙏 🦸🏾♀️ 🦸♂️ Know what causes depression in Veterans. ⠀
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A variety of factors can cause or contribute to the exacerbation of depression including: combat, PTSD, losing their comrades, family stress and being away on duty, and more. According to this article, Veterans 65 and older have a rate of major depression that is two times the average population at the same age. ⠀
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If left untreated and even in many cases undiagnosed, as the old adage says, time does not heal wounds. It just festers and can manifest into even bigger problems. ⠀
Now we’d love to hear from YOU veterans. ⠀
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How are You keeping your mindset positive, building strong community and continuing to practice a regular regimen of fitness for your mental health? ⠀Tag us on your TikTok video or slideshow @TheRealMoveHappy and we’ll duet you!
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Move Happy Updates:
The Move Happy Movement Podcast© is in full swing! Together we are bringing awareness to mental health, providing practical strategies to empower those with depressed states to move towards their own happiness and inspiring the joy of movement! Tomorrow I’ll be releasing episode 50 with Paris Mullen. He was my youth pastor in high school. He made going to church fun when socializing with friends could have been an easy outlet. He got us to want to bring our friends to church and encouraged me a TON in my young adult life to be a leader in building strong community. He does speak on some tough content so I’d have a listen through before letting minors listen. Make sure to tune in tomorrow by 6p EST for official release. Once its out, go to iTunes and give him a thank you in the reviews so he knows we want him to come back for a 2.0 version!
Follow the Move Happy Movement Podcast wherever you listen (iTunes and Spotify) and Tweet us @MoveHappyTeam if you’d like it on a different platform. Once we have 10,000 listeners we’ll be offering a sweet giveaway! A private concert by me and my cool singer 🎶 friends! (Check my TikTok @TheRealMoveHappy for examples of my genre preference). You must be one of the monthly listeners to qualify and be active in commenting/liking/sharing/tweeting Move Happy®️ content on any and all social media platforms (and leaving iTunes reviews 😉😉😉). The more platforms you follow us, the easier it will be for us to remember your name when deciding on random giveaways 😘. We’ll keep things updated from the distribution website below ⬇️⬇️⬇️
The World Health Organization estimates that $1 trillion dollars is lost annually due to lack of productivity from employees specifically diagnosed with depression and anxiety and not receiving adequate resources from their workplace. I designed a solution to help decrease this statistic. “Work Happy: The Practical Tools For Effective and Inclusive Workplaces©” is in beta.
Employees will benefit from this because the workshop is designed with you as the main focus in a positive manner. Employers will benefit from this because people that are cared for work harder and take less sick days, thus increasing your bottom line 💰. The workshop includes a follow up refresher (2 days total). It starts at $1,997 for online training for a company of 5 people. Have more employees? We can discuss pricing. Next 2 businesses/EAPs to sign up get prioritized scheduling. Email me “Work Happy Workshop Interest” here to set up your Work Happy Analysis©️.
#5 Way: 💃🏽 🏃♀️ 🤸♀️ 🧘♀️ 🙏 🦸🏾♀️ 🦸♂️ Know How can Move Happy®️ can help Veterans with depression or depressed states.
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I created a program for my patients in one of the most sensitive populations in the world; a locked psychiatric hospital. I worked in active treatment which was like school for adults. ⠀
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My patients would come down from their wards (escorted) for 2 hours in the am and 2 hours in the pm. I saw a need for better curricula to be offered to the patients than the same DVD for walking/yoga played everyday for eternity. I also wanted to get my mind off of my pain of losing my father. ⠀
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So I started researching programs available online that combined positive psychology (journaling/group discussion/workouts) and couldn’t find anything. We didn’t have a budget so there were fitness programs and there were psychological programs but none that worked cohesively. ⠀
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So I decided to create one. ⠀
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I was blessed with a line of patients waiting out the door ready to participate 💜. Many enthusiastically asking me in the mornings, “what’s the workout going to be this afternoon?” ⠀
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I co-facilitated the 16-week program with Sayaka, a Licensed Mental Health Therapist. We had the highest attendance and participation rate amongst all groups (and there were some great groups being offered)! ⠀
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I think because of the name, because we worked out with the patients, and because we really cared about them being healthier, they showed up as much as we did. ⠀
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We had a few veterans in the program and everyone encouraged me to share the program to other hospitals and clinics. That’s why you’re hearing about it now. ⠀
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First 2 to order your copy here, get an additional digital book “Prayer Affirmations” emailed to you. Email us a copy of your receipt and we’ll send you over your ebook! Plus every purchase includes a donation to a mental health program of YOUR choice (30% after costs of running the biz are factored) and an additional 10% will be donated to Big Brothers and Big Sisters chapter in YOUR area)!
Prices will go up soon so hurry to get yours at the best rate possible.
So there you have it folks, Veterans and those that are related or work with Veterans need our compassion. They have to see some of the most challenging things in life and keep their minds intact and ready for battle if necessary. If they’re Retired, they need our utmost respect for their time served. Do us all a favor and if you see an older man or woman wearing a WWII had on or a Vietnam hat or see evidence that they’ve been in combat, tell them thank you. PTSD was not diagnosed during WWII times and many soldiers did not receive the best mental health treatment. It takes time for research to be conducted and for global understanding and consensus to take place. Be a kind human and remember that you never fully know what someone else is going through. It’ll save you a lot of emotional draining when you assume the best in another. It’ll open up doors of opportunity for you in life (money, love, work, peace etc). It’s the right thing to do.
PS: Don’t forget to tell someone you love them today
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