Do you want to learn more about mental health and how to get help if you need it? Sonja Wasden is sharing the solution so that you can get mental health awareness.

"You are not always going to feel this way. It will pass."

Sonja Wasden is an author, mental health keynote speaker, and op-ed contributor who has over 30 years of lived experience with mental illness.

This is Sonja Wasden's story...

Sonia Wasden is a suicide survivor and mental health keynote speaker. She has bipolar disorder, OCD, and anxiety disorder. Her father died by suicide. In her book, An Impossible Life, she shares her story of mental illness and suicide attempts in order to help others.

In this episode, you will learn the following:1. The importance of speaking up about mental health challenges and suicide, in order to help others, feel less alone, and provide hope.2. The power of positive thinking and how to deal with negative thoughts in a productive way.3. The importance of telling one's story in order to help others, and the idea that everyone's story matters.

Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/impossiblelives/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonja-wasden-a312b940/https://www.facebook.com/sonja.wasden

Chapter Summaries:[00:00:02] - Today's podcast is about suicide and depression. Sonya is a bipolar person. She will talk to her audience about herself. And then we'll dive into today's topic, ie. What suicide attempts and what suicide can do to people.

[00:01:44] - Sonia Wasden is the author of An Impossible Life a memoir of a personal journey going through mental health challenges. She has bipolar obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorder. Her father died of suicide. One of her siblings committed suicide. She dealt with a client whose nephew committed suicide in a halfway house.

[00:04:01] - According to today's author, she hid her mental illness for over 20 years because of the stigma. She was married to the hospital CEO, living in a beautiful home with three beautiful children, and attending charity events. But behind closed doors, her life held darker store lines. She had gained over 100lbs through emotional eating. She was tipping the scales at 250 in a manic episode. She spent over $150000 on credit cards. She bought a washer and dryer. Her dad died from suicide, and she felt like her life had no purpose. She tried to take her own life, but her husband found her and saved her life.

[00:07:14] - As a child, children feel good about themselves. As we get older, we start to get more self-doubting and compare ourselves with other people. 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% are repetitive. We have to deal with negative thoughts that come anyway. It's one thing to heal and to work on happiness. It's another thing to put the story out in front of people.

[00:16:39] - Sonja wants to speak to more youth groups about mental health awareness. She wants to go to middle schools, high schools, poor areas, middle-income high schools, and upper income. She would like to go abroad as well. 

Connect with me:Instagram: www.instagram.com/altoviseunmutedFacebook: www.facebook.com/altoviseunmutedYouTube: www.YouTube.com/AltovisePelzerTwitter: www.twitter.com/altoviseunmutedLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/altoviseunmutedWebsite: www.iamunmuted.com

Loved this episode? Leave us a review.