Back in July, we were very fortunate to come in to contact with Jeff Walker who works for Overcoming Barriers here in town and when he's taking care of things in his spare time, he's working to build a community focused on supporting men and their needs for mental health care in a situation that focuses on a group setting where privacy is key, but the mutual understanding of no one is in it alone is one of the key factors of recovery.
Sincere Solutions id the organization Jeff has set up and Men of Recovery Evolving is the group work that Jeff is hoping to see grow as they work toward more regular meetings with a solid group gathering at the Us Cafe. The next meeting will be at the Us Cafe on December 11th at 10a. The Us Cafe is a quaint neighborhood gathering spot for such an event and the revisit with Jeff is to encourage more men to take part in this group because there truly is strength in numbers and part of mental health is knowing that you are not alone in what might be sending you into an emergency situation. 
Sincere Solutions on Facebook
As we talked in our article in July, Jeff and I found an awful lot of commonality in our backgrounds. Both suicide attempt survivors. We both endured bullying as younger people and we both found ourselves before the age of 30 having panic attacks and in my particular case, I was self medicating with as much alcohol as I could possibly put away. Like so many others I only worked to bury what was in me and never tried to find a way to resolve the internal issues and demons I faced. It took a lot of work and dedication on my part and the help of group and individual counselling to get me to the point where I could stand on my own two feet. I am a very lucky "survivor" and nothing more.
With this group, Jeff is working to try and incorporate the group aspect as well as finding some professionals to come and be a part. He's seeking out holistic healing as an approach which can be mental, physical and spiritual and custom fit to meet anyone's belief system. This meeting coming up on Saturday the 11th is a great first step to learn a little more and to find out what being a part of a group is. A pro tip? Being part of a group like this, start by listening. You are not alone and absorbing the message of others first is a great first step.
We talk again about the importance and how fragile we are. Jeff actually had an urgent call to resolve just before we came on. The issues are real and the idea that somehow, just because we're men, we can brush it all off is a failed idea. Take a listen.
If you are struggling. Get there. There is nothing to be ashamed of in admitting that there's an issue bigger than you and that the help of others can be a bridge. Jeff was even as incredible to reach out to me personally not long ago when he was following my social media and saw that things didn't seem normal. It's a security network that is pretty unique to humans to be able to build a safety net around ourselves by sharing experience, strength and hope. Find out more by visiting Jeff's group on December 11th at 10a.
