Today is the last episode of the month. This has been a hard journey for me, both mentally and emotionally. My wife dealt with multiple nights of me crying at the laptop while I listened to LoFi music and typed out the scripts for the past 31 episodes. This was a form of therapy for me, but not really the kind I would recommend. Talking things out and getting your thoughts and feelings out are a great way to work through some things, but make sure you have a supportive network around you to give you a nice warm hug and rub your back a little bit. My youngest gives some pretty good snuggles and I took advantage of that on numerous occasions. Regardless of your current mental or emotional state, we all need support from time to time. Please use the resources available to you and reach out if you or someone you know needs them. Don't wait until you need them to start the Google box... put the numbers in your phone or download some apps. If you ever need assistance in getting to a helping organization, reach out to the Art Resiliency Team 24/7. If you are unsure of what helping agency will best fit your needs, let me know; I'll walk you around to all of them until we find the best fit for you. Remember to take care of yourselves, and if you can, take care of someone else too.

Derek

Mental health and physical health are closely linked. One way to ensure that physical health is maintained, diet. This episode gives some specific tips in thinking about how you eat and what to think about while you eat. Mindful eating is something I practiced when I stayed at Buddhist Temples in Korea. Sitting in silence, eating 5 grain rice, feeling each grain between my teeth and how my saliva started to break down the carbohydrates before I even got to swallow. It sounds boring, right? It was at first, but allowing time for your body to fully respond to nutrients that are being provided can definitely be a spiritual event. I have only done mindful eating for weight loss once, when the Air Force enforced a waist measurement. I was definitely more round than I am today and in order to pass the waist tape, I needed to lose about 8 inches off the midsection. I used this to ensure I knew when I was hungry or when I was bored and it helped me from shoveling Zebra Cakes down my throat while I watched Stargate SG-1.

Today's episode discusses a Korean Linguist that succumbed to suicide in 2012. If listening to the story is going to cause you additional stress, please skip today's episode. These are not easy discussions and believe me, they are not easy to record, but they are truly necessary. They show us that too many of our brothers and sisters, actively serving or previously awarded the DD 214, are making permanent decisions to temporary problems. We need to come together to ensure that connections and bonds are forged and strengthened so that isolating thoughts or beliefs that the world is a better place without one of our own are removed from each of our Airmen and Guardians.