The Voices for Voices Podcast Episode 6 (BONUS) from October 2021 A Brand New Day LIVE Event, sponsored by Voices for Voices at Walsh University, Voices for Voices Founder Justin Alan Hayes
Justin Alan Hayes:
Hello, everyone. My name is Justin Alan Hayes, the founder of Voices for Voices. Good evening, and welcome to all here in person and joining us virtually all across the world. I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and my story and share my vision for Voices for Voices as an organization kicking off at this exciting event today. Just a heads up before I dive in, the subject matter of my speech is heavy and could be triggering to some. If you need to step out or take a break, feel free to do so and return in about eight minutes.
Justin Alan Hayes:
And now, let's do a quick mental health check-in. Raise hands, think to yourself, whatever you're comfortable with. Who here has turned to Google in an attempt to find out why you feel continuously sad, anxious, or just off? I know I have. Who here has experienced themselves, has a loved one, or a patient or client who is struggling and doesn't know where to begin to feel okay again? The answer to these two questions are very telling. They're part of the reason why I felt it was very important to create an organization that advocates for mental health so that anyone can use our platform to share their distinctive voice, find resources, and begin to thrive once again in their own lives. Keep your answers to these questions in the back of your mind. We'll come back to the mission to Voices for Voices in a bit.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Today I stand before you all at what may be considered the midpoint of my natural life here on Earth, which is 39 years and 10 months. While technically true, I think that it wasn't until November of 2017 that I truly began living and discovering my own prescription for living which would become the title of my mental health autobiography in 2020. Let me explain. It was after midnight in the Akron General Hospital emergency room where I was being faced with two terrifying options that would determine the outcome of the rest of my life. Option one, immediate release to face an uncertain future the second I cleared those heavy glass doors of the hospital. Option two, voluntarily admit myself into a psych ward for an unspecified length of time to begin the treatment for my newly diagnosed mental illnesses.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Now, at this point, clearly everything had ballooned into a life-threatening time for me which had only intensified to an overpowering level in the last few months leading up to that dreaded day in November 2017. Until this moment, I was my own hero. I firmly believed that I could correct any situation that had gone awry and solve any problem, and yet I was mentally paralyzed in a state of anxiety day in and day out. Panic attacks consumed me transforming into catastrophizing and sleep deprivation. Google searches as a quick remedy that maybe if I read more and more online, I could fix myself. It's not so bad. Dr. Google can guide me.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Drowning in tears, rumination, and seclusion, my wife was increasingly concerned for me while wondering what she did wrong to make me not want to be with her anymore. Spiraling, my fight or flight response was on high alert at all times. Even all of that, coupled with the history of alcohol abuse and an overdose on over-the-counter cold and cough pills, I still believed that I was in control. Now, this next experience I have not shared with many. When my wife and I were flying home from our honeymoon in Hawaii on the Honolulu to San Francisco leg, we were seated in one of the exit rows. At that time, I was so consumed with anxiety, an ongoing panic attack months in the making, that my warped mind took me to a strange place. The idea formed that I should open the exit door on our 757 jet, some 40,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean and let Jesus take the wheel. Thank God I did not open that door.
Justin Alan Hayes:
And in that same warped mind in November of 2017, I still could not figure out why I was being asked repeatedly if I'd ever thought about harming myself or others. The word scary is an understatement at this time in my life. I was surviving, but just barely, and still my ego shone through and told me that I was F-I-N-E, fine. But was I? That's what the professionals forced me to consider that night in the emergency room. That's when I woke up and realized that I don't have all the answers, and so that one time, I quieted my mind, my bullheadedness, my hardened heart, and even my ego. And I listened. In the stillness of the sterile room, after blacking out in the passenger seat on my dad's truck, a panicked 9-1-1 call, an ambulance ride earlier that night, I listened.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Between my shallow breaths, everyone's steady eye on mine, I accepted that I was not ready to die. I accepted that I needed help, that I couldn't face this life alone. In my own mind. So I chose the second option, to admit myself into the psych ward and begin treatment for major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. A brand new day was just over the horizon for me. I finally traded the management of my mental health from my hands, my brain, and Dr. Google with medical professionals who are educated, clinically trained, and licensed in all areas of mental health.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Next, three things happened to me at the same time. First, I erased the stigma I wrongly carried inside as it related to mental health and mental illness. Second, I swallowed what pride I had left and accepted that I needed help. And three, I had to lean on those medical health professionals to guide me from the storm of a lifetime to calmer waters. Since November 2017, I started to do my part in eliminating the stigma of mental health and mental illness. I persisted with the team approach to my mental healthcare which includes standing psychiatrist and therapist meetings, daily medication, which I was terrified to have to do prior, and eating three meals per day as a foundation, as I had lost 30 plus pounds by November of 2017 by my poor nutrition and not a lack of food access.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Now combine that with less screen time, daily gratitude, prioritization of sleep, feeding my spirit through faith, and spending more time and energy on my family and serving others. And now I'm finally thriving and at peace in my life. I now have full control as much of a full control a person could have, and that's no longer my ego or shame about mental illness talking here. I'm fulfilled. I've realized my strengths and take value in sharing my experiences with others, to be the voice that they need to help open their eyes and see the light at the end of the dark, spiraling tunnel they may be facing behind the scenes.
Justin Alan Hayes:
The mission of Voices for Voices is to help others share their voice, creating mental health awareness, and strive to mental healthcare that's both affordable and accessible for all, to help shift the stigma that mental health struggles and mental illnesses are something to be ashamed of and dealt with in private. Everyone deserves to have their voices heard, and this non-profit organization is a safe place to share, inspire, dream, and thrive with others. Furthermore, it is my vision that Voices for Voices will not stop there, and like St Jude's does for children, we will one day have a Voices for Voices facility, a safe place, where people of all walks of life can get the de-stigmatized mental healthcare they need for free.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Today, on World Mental Health Day 2021, is just the beginning for Voices for Voices. This event and the second episode of the Voices for Voices podcast that dropped earlier today, are just a taste of the exciting content that we have in the works. Now, some examples of voices could be through the spoken word like I'm speaking to you here today, body movement like ballet, sign language, and interpretation, in the arts like art therapy and performances that are coming up soon from our friends in the Hearts for Music Special Needs Orchestra, the world's first special needs orchestra which in conjunction with the Akron Symphony String Quartet and later on from the Walsh University World Music Ensemble.
Justin Alan Hayes:
I founded Voices for Voices to start a legacy that is bigger than me, bigger than my selfishness, and bigger than my self-centeredness. I lived the first 36 years of my life. I wanted to create something that faced outward rather than facing inward and at the end of the day will continue helping others long after I have passed on from this earthly world. This seismic change of my life's purpose from surviving to thriving, from hate to love and with understanding can only be described as a miracle, and it is truly a miracle that I am alive and here with you all today.
Justin Alan Hayes:
I also think of my daughter, Rose Marie, and what I want her to learn and take away from life. I plan to make the best use of our time together on Earth to leave a sustainable legacy that will hopefully make her proud that I am her daddy. Now I am not perfect, and I can't say that learning of the untimely deaths of singer songwriters, Chester Bennington from Lincoln Park, Avicii, and Chris Cornell did not catch my attention when the news broke. What I try to do in those situations is to put things into perspective by hoping I am granted the serenity to accept things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Justin Alan Hayes:
I am one person, one person that has a dream to positively impact 2 billion people over the course of his lifetime. Maybe I reach my dream. Maybe I don't. Only time will tell. Regardless, I am taking aim at the stars. Although, if I don't reach the stars, maybe I will reach the moon, and that wouldn't be so bad, would it? I do, however, believe like the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, said that every accomplishment starts with the decision to try and try I am. Now remember the answers to those two questions earlier. We see you. We hear you. And I hope that you know that myself and my team at Voices for Voices are here for you. This event is the first of many opportunities to share my voice as well as the voice of others. Everyone's story is different and unique, and remember your voice deserves to be heard. We encourage you to find your outlet, whatever that may be, to share your voice like so many are here to do today at this event.
Justin Alan Hayes:
I personally invite you to contact us at Voices for Voices at president at voicesforvoices.org so that together we can make your voice heard. Now on behalf of the Voices for Voices Board of Directors, our key sponsors, Redwood Real Estate, and Mr. Dave Schaefer at Edward Jones, and everyone that has volunteered their time and talents both here in person and virtually, we thank you. Thank you for watching and thank you for listening and sharing in the mission of Voices for Voices. My name is Justin Alan Hayes, founder of Voices for Voices. I hope to see you again very soon.
Please donate to Voices for Voices, a 501c3 nonprofit charity today at: https://www.voicesforvoices.org/shop/p/donate
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