GABE LLOYD

“I have always wanted to make sure those around me and close to me were always in good spirits, but over time I realized my own MENtal health was deteriorating as I was too focused on others happiness rather than my own. The stress as a student, an athlete, my own inner-battles, and much more made me realize I could not  fight my own as badly as I wanted to. After a few years of struggling with myself, I finally started to open up to a select few. It did help tremendously, but at the end of the day, you are the only person in your head which means YOU are the only person that can truly facilitate improvement. I realized that I needed to control my own brain and not let it control me. “Sure, there will definitely be days where you will struggle to pull yourself out of that darker place, but filling your brain with positive thoughts will translate directly to your life over time and those days will suddenly not show up as often. On the days I feel alone in my head, just reminding myself that God is always present, to me, is the biggest factor in dealing with my MENtal health. It is time to start normalizing men who struggle with MENtal health, taking your MENtal Health and understanding that it is okay to not be okay."

WISCONSIN FOOTBALL