My Story, Part 4 of 4: Recovery is Possible for Anyone!

People need to know that there is hope, there are working tools for mental health challenges, and there can be a happy ending!

People are always saying after my classes, "Mia, this class and what I have learned will stay with me! You were so engaging, and you made the material come to life." Honestly, though I have heard this a lot, I still get bashful and want to hide. I know what they have experienced is really greater than me, but an experience we have had together. It’s the people that attend and the synergy we undergo that makes the encounter so healing and energizing. 

Before I knew about Mental Health First Aid (I mentioned in the previous post), I used to wonder what I could have done to better prepare my family the night before I tried to take my life; how I could have warned them of the storm brewing inside. Outside of screaming at my husband and angrily shoving him days before, I had stopped communicating with nearly everyone. 

I had not felt like myself for months. I was easily irritated. I was inhaling food like a hungry pig, barely sleeping and not caring for my appearance. Now when I look back, I see those were signs and symptoms that my family did not know how to read or how to respond.  Many people do not know what to do with the symptoms they are seeing in a co-worker, student, or family member. Often they lack of knowledge, which can exacerbate the problem. 

As I learned and taught the Mental Health First Aid course, many questions I had about my illness and the illnesses of those around me became clear. I could see harmful patterns that could have been redirected. I became committed more than ever to sharing because I knew first hand what it was like to suffer from mental illness, to lose people to mental illness, and to now be equipped to help myself and others—which felt sacred and wonderful! 

Now I get to teach the same skills that help me stay well today and empower people to do the same. Fulfillment and a pain unwasted best describe the joy I have when I step into a classroom or log into a virtual space to teach because I know for sure that what people will gain from the course with me will be invaluable!!! 

What a journey, right?

Would you like to know how to help someone you know with a mental health challenge? I think it would be great if you and your friends, family members, church members, or coworkers would take the Mental Health First Aid training with me. A lot of unanswered questions you may have may be uncovered for in this course. If you have a group of 10 or more people that need to take Mental Health First Aid, contact us today to get your team certified! 

—Mia

My Story, Part 3 of 4: The Incredible Training Discovery I Stumbled Upon

Someone in your life is hurting and needs assistance. I want you to feel very confident that you can help. 

One day while recounting my mental health journey with the dear man seeking to end his life at a private facility I was presenting at (the one I mentioned in my previous blog post), a friend told me of a program that helped the everyday person and professional learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness, how to respond appropriately and point them to resources that could help long-term.  I knew this was the program I needed to share with my facility. 

I immediately signed up for the program and became certified in Mental Health First Aid. Just like CPR can save someone from a physical health crisis, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) can save a person from a mental health crisis. Once a person is better equipped with knowledge, skills, and the right mindset concerning mental illness, they are a powerful force for good and can truly help to improve someone’s quality of life! That type of person can save a life!  

I went to work using my skills immediately. Then the day came when my training was put to the test by one of my own family members—and it worked! My family member was able to get to safety, sign up for the help they needed, and is living a productive life as of this email! 

The use of my training didn’t stop there. I would get calls from friends who knew young people struggling with binge eating, cutting themselves, or hearing voices. Using the MHFA training, I was able to be of assistance either in-person or at a distance!  

From there, I became a passionate MHFA Instructor with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. As an instructor, I’ve certified over 200 everyday people and professionals to recognize and respond appropriately in order to preserve and enhance the lives of those they served and love—especially in crisis.   Testimonies would come back of how the people I trained used the skills they had learned sooner than they expected! More lives were saved! I saw that my students were having the same success I had, and greater! My heart really swells with joy and a little teacher pride when I hear the success my students are having! 

Here's the story behind what I had to do to continue pursuing my mission to equip concerned people with the tools and resources needed to help change and save lives... 

My husband and I ended our jobs at the lifestyle center—which was scary and uncomfortable—but we knew if I were going to go full-time with this purpose, I would need to devote more time. The next few years would confirm we made the right decision. We connected with schools systems, churches, and advocacy groups and even went virtual (and international) during the pandemic! I shared my story and keys from my mental health training and experience to thousands through workshops, podcasts, and speakingI’ve also shared key principles from MHFA to thousands through workshops, podcasts, and speaking engagements!  I felt a deep responsibility amid all the chaos, loss, and uncertainty that more than ever people needed the training I could provide! So we went to work to get our organization, Pain Unwasted, up and running. 

We named our organization Pain Unwasted because we felt that it was the perfect acknowledgement of trials and trauma not only for ourselves, but others who had experienced loss, abuse, betrayal and more, but were choosing to recover…choosing to accept a commission to use their heart-wrenching pain as a catapult into a future that served them and others at the highest level…choosing to make use of that pain of use and not waste it. 

People that work with me are looking for meaning and a way to repurpose their pain—and with our lived experiences, spiritual foundation, and our professional expertise, we help them do just that!  It’s about an acknowledgement that our pain is real, but also a commitment to recovery and service through it all. We are not wearing a mark of victimhood, but triumph over real experiences—its a call for us to call others to the same. 

Wow! Isn’t that great?

Chaplains, physicians, teachers, therapists and others have taken the program with me to add to their tool belts and build a stronger knowledge base for the people they serve! And so can YOU!

Do you have a group of 10 or more people that need to take Mental Health First Aid? Contact us today to get your team certified!

—Mia

My Story, Part 2 of 4: My Crayon Prayer: “Get Me Outta Here God, or Else…”

Right now over 80% of the population is struggling with a Mental Health Concern directly or indirectly! 

I realized that many people had friends, co-workers and family members that battled with depression and anxiety. Some had people in their lives that were diagnosed with schizophrenia, or had the symptoms of bipolar disorder but had gone undiagnosed. These people longed to help, but weren’t sure how to do it in a way that preserved dignity and privacy. Often attempts to help at ended in blow-ups, fights and or isolation. Many people where suffering silently all while saying "I'm fine!"

I remember sitting in my cell at the behavioral health facility, writing to God with a crayon (pens and pencils weren’t allowed as they could be used to cause harm to yourself and others), “God, if you're real, get me out of here…not just out of the behavioral health hospital, but out of the prison of my mind. I will not continue to live unless my life totally changes.”

And it did! I left the hospital and went to Wildwood Lifestyle Center Depression Recovery Program. There I received tools on how to process my thoughts and feelings, and even came to forgive people that harmed me and my family. I decided to give God one more try. 

Less than a year later, I became the director for the depression recovery program there, and it prospered in my hands by God’s grace!  

It was amazing to share my lived experience with the material and see peoples lives change! Marriages were saved, estranged parents and children were reunited, people with longstanding hurts where able to reconcile their past and look forward to the future. People that battled with drugs misuse left the program not only clean but with a determination to help others.

...But what if people could recognize the signs and symptoms BEFORE a crisis occurred or if in the midst of that crisis they felt equipped to help?

While spending 2 weeks at a private institution conducting a mental health program, a crisis occurred.  There was a client that attempted to die by suicide on campus one morning, putting a staff member in danger of losing his life trying to save him.  As I sat in their staff meeting after that situation, we realized how many signs and symptoms we had missed from the client that revealed that he was in danger.  

Having personally lost 2 family members to suicide, my heart yearned to help that client see that his life truly mattered. I felt sorry that at that time I was not equipped to recognize that he was at a critical point! 

I became desperate to find answers, practical solutions to help individuals before they became suicidal and also to empower the people that loved them!  I felt that if I could be privileged to find answers, more lives could be saved! 

But I’m getting ahead of myself...

Stay tuned for the next post to learn about the great mental health training resource I found!

—Mia

My Story, Part 1 of 4: From Ministry to "the Crazy House"

My name is Mia, founder of Pain Unwasted, and I just wanted to personally thank you for visiting my website www.painunwasted.org. I truly hope you find it helpful in your journey towards a healthier mind and body.

I wanted to introduce myself and share a little about my story, which will give you a window into not only why Pain Unwasted exists, but my passion for why I do what I do.

A little about me: People say I'm a great story teller. I'm pretty friendly and easy to be around. I love to laugh, and I enjoy conversations that are meaningful and go deep. I care about people and truly desire their good. As I meet and talk with people, I feel that God gives me insight into their thoughts and feelings for the purpose of helping them in some way.

I was a missionary for over 15 years with a fairly well-known relief organization. I loved the work I did so much, giving it my heart and soul, sweat, blood, and tears, that it didn't matter that my pay came out to less than minimum wage. We provided on-the-field training to youth from 20 countries in disaster response, conducting children's programs, providing medical assistance, and more. We built churches, shared God's Word, taught English, and provided hot meals to thousands of people. We also worked in our local community tutoring children in poverty, and gave parents a break while we did crafts and told Bible stories to their children. It was great!

Then something happened that would change everything...

After years of working for the organization and being married for over ten years, my husband and I had no children of our own. We tried for 3 years, and despite being told in that time that we would not be able to have children, our first bundle of joy finally came--and so did postpartum depression.

At the time, I didn't know what it was. "How could I feel so dark and empty when I had finally become a mother?" was my 24/7 nagging thought. My daughter was so cute. But I never really slept more than 1 hour at a time. I would burst from my sleep, afraid that someone had taken my baby away. My thoughts would race through the most horrible scenarios. I would cry, withdraw and eat! Thirty candy bars a day was hardly enough. Nothing restored my joy.

Finally, I crashed, nearly drove my car off a bridge, and had to be hospitalized for suicidal and homicidal ideation.

Wow! I had hit rock bottom.

And as a looked at all the people in blue jumpsuits (what all the patients wore in the behavioral health facility I was in) around me, a wave of reality hit me like a ton of bricks...either I was going to figure out how to get better and get out of here, or the behavioral hospital would be my new home.

Now I’m doing something I never imagined...I'm helping people like me recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to appropriately respond and help others in a crisis so that more people can enjoy a better quality of life. I'm sharing my story along with tools that really work so that people can avoid hitting rock bottom, or find their way out in the midst of the darkness. I'm helping people realize their purpose despite the pains of the past and to live a life of joy and service without burning out!

I'm doing this because it was done for me! I know firsthand how valuable and transformative it was to have a guide that truly cared and was concerned for my future wellbeing to come along and share their knowledge and expertise with me. And it made all the difference that that person had lived experience and was literally using the tools they shared...a person that was not just speaking from theory...a person that saw my worth and the beauty I had despite the ashes.

I know how important it is to have a person truly believe in you, even when you don't believe in yourself...to know that there is a person that sees your potential and believes in your ability to get from where you are to where you truly want to be...a person that can see past the shadows and darkness into the light and joy that is awaiting. I know this type of relationship can not only improve life, but save life.

But more on that later...

Stay tuned for the next blog post to see what happens next!

-Mia