Tag: Lost&Found

Riley Buckneberg

Posted on October 30, 2024 by - 2024 Story

What is the story related to resilience that you’d like to share?

At the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, I had hit my lowest point in my mental health journey. I felt like I had no purpose in life. I had just spent my 20th birthday in the middle of a first-trimester miscarriage. My GPA started slipping, and the mess in my apartment piled up by the day. Life didn’t stop; I couldn’t give up because I still had responsibilities, so I ignored it. I thought at some point I would just push through it. I treated my mental health issues like an annoying younger sibling and planned to ignore them until they went away.

After of couple months of thinking I would just snap out of it, I realized that much like a little sibling, it doesn’t just go away. I decided to reach out to my campus counseling office to talk through the thoughts trapped in my head. That 30-minute meeting was the first step in my journey. At my first visit, it was concluded that I needed to find purpose outside of my classes and home. In the hours following my session with the counselor, I had reached out to the Lost&Found program to become a mentor and help anyone struggling like me. Once I became a mentor, I was more satisfied with life. I finally saw my GPA get back into good standing, and I had the motivation to even get a job. I thought I had finally figured it out.

After about 2 months of mentoring, I realized I wasn’t doing as good as I thought. I felt successful and satisfied, but those feelings were draining. I was finally back to being the student I prided myself on being, I loved my job, I had my zest for life back but only when I was in public. How could I be so selfish to reach out for help? I knew how much help was available to me. I knew that if I could just pick up the phone or send an email, I would have someone there to support me. But I couldn’t do it. My grades were fine, I was able to keep a job, I saw friends and family regularly. On paper, I felt like I didn’t deserve support, that I for some reason, I didn’t qualify. I meant I was fine, I just felt a little sad sometimes. One day I reached out to the Lost&Found program to see if I could get a mentor, and I was paired up with someone within the week. In the following weeks, I learned that reaching out for support didn’t make me less than, in fact it gave me the support I needed to be the best mentor I could be. I still meet with both my mentor and my mentee and I truly don’t know where I would be without either of them.

It is easy to say “I don’t need it that much, I will be just fine,” but everyone deserves and needs proper support. Behind every smile, every pair of eye bags, every pimple and dimple, everybody is just trying to get through the day. Everybody has something and no experience is more deserving of support than another.

 

What strengths can you identify within yourself that helped you navigate the situation? 

In navigating this experience, I relied heavily on self-understanding and humbleness.

 

Did you have a person or persons to look to for support during this time? If so, what was it about that person/those people that was helpful or not helpful? If not, what did you do instead?

I did have people supporting me during these times. They all supported me in their own ways. Some would be a listening ear, some would give me words of encouragement, and others would just have to validate my experience. They all helped and were important in these times.

 

What resources did you use during that time? Are there any barriers or limitations regarding access to these resources? What resources do you think still need to be developed for others?

At this time, the only resource I could consistently use was Peer2Peer. There were no barriers or limitations with access.

 

What is one thing related to your experience that you wish everyone could understand? What advice might you share with someone who is experiencing something similar?

I wish people knew that they don’t have to “qualify” for support. The people who are here to support you through your struggles know that sometimes you may struggle with depression and others you may just need someone to hear about how traffic was horrendous on your drive to work that day. There are people able and willing to listen to your story. You aren’t less for struggling, you aren’t less for being afraid, and you aren’t less for wanting help even if you “don’t deserve it.” My advice would be to remind yourself that these moments are temporary. They are a storm to weather and when you rejoice on the other side, it will truly feel amazing.

 

 

Robert L Burandt

Posted on September 9, 2023 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?

Having a lifelong disease takes perseverance, persistence, and an understanding that it’s OK to be not OK. It’s easier in our society to understand physical health more than mental health. Having learned I have bipolar in 2008, I worked very hard with therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and myself to understand how to manage and live with this lifelong disease. I finally got to the point of remission, a thing I didn’t even know was possible with this disease.

I have been a resource and advocate for others by creating a sports association in Sioux Falls. A similar outlet was available in my hometown of Minneapolis and was an invaluable resource. I even became a mental health first aid responder in 2022. With all of that knowledge, experience, and time, I still faltered.

In May of 2023, I saw myself dying by suicide in two vivid scenarios. I did not want this to become a reality, but I forgot everything I knew. I was so busy helping everybody else that I forgot to help myself first. It finally became too much, and I had to ask for help. This time was different, though—I knew that it was OK to not be OK. I had talked about my struggle openly for years, and when I finally succumbed to needing help, I was surrounded by it. I did not feel ashamed this time. I felt as though I was actually doing the right thing. This was my “drink your juice, Shelby” moment, and I was parched.

While at work, I reached out to my manager and a co-worker who led me to the right place. I completed an outpatient intensive therapy program at Avera Behavioral Health and am seeing a therapist at Sanford Health regularly. I still openly talk about my experience(s) to others and am once again able to be a resource for those who need it.

My tunnel has found light again, and I am ready for what’s next.

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?

Avera Behavioral Health (outpatient intensive care program), Sanford therapy, Lost&Found, Sioux Empire Pride Sports Association, 988, co-workers, family & friends.

 

Think about the system that affects our mental health in our society, including aspects that are damaging to mental health and aspects of the system that improve mental health. Based on your experience, how might we improve that system to build resilience and better address the mental health needs of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities?

I believe that we have come a long way from where we were, but we still have a long way to go. I will do what I can, for as long as I can to speak to the importance of the whole health of individuals. Being silent is the worst thing I can do for others. I will continue to advocate for better coverage, access, and awareness of resources available.

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand?

No matter how dark the road, light will always shine, even if just a flicker. Stay here. You are worth it.

 

Erik Muckey

Erik Muckey

Posted on September 15, 2021 by - Uncategorized

What is the story related to mental health, suicide, and/or resilience that you’d like to share?   

After completing my undergraduate studies at the University of South Dakota (USD) in May 2014, I experienced a significant depressive episode and experienced almost daily suicide ideation until I received professional support in late summer 2014. Had I not received this support, it’s quite likely I would not be here writing this story.  

As a student at USD, I wouldn’t be someone you would expect to experience depression so severely. I came to USD on a nearly full-ride academic scholarship, became highly involved in some of the most visible professional and student organizations, served as student body president, and co-founded a mental health student organization that would go on to become my full-time employer (Lost&Found). I had wonderful friends, a supportive family, lots of connections in the community, and was well-liked by those who knew me. It was difficult, if not impossible, to see my ongoing battle with burnout and social anxiety throughout my college years.  

I would come home from breaks completely exhausted, not adapting from a rural community where you could quite literally do everything, and having little to no understanding of mental health other than stories of family and community members who experienced alcoholism, depression, and anxiety. Or worse, had died by suicide. Mental health and suicide weren’t discussed regularly, and until I saw it firsthand, I couldn’t empathize with the experience. It simply wasn’t real to me. I trivialized my own mental health, at my own expense. I also didn’t give myself enough room to breathe or grieve several losses of close family and friends in the four years at USD, especially friends who had died by suicide.  

By the time I reached my senior year, the act of trivializing my mental health came to a head. After loading overwhelming amounts of student organization responsibility on my shoulders, as well as trying to complete an honors thesis, regular coursework, and serve as student body president, I began to fall into depression. I walked across the stage at USD with no job lined up, some of my closest friends spreading across the country, and my identity as a community leader in question. Things kept getting lower, it seemed, and I couldn’t imagine living anymore with that kind of pain.  

I didn’t create a plan or attempt suicide, but I did journal about how I was feeling. When I actually read what I was writing, something snapped in me for a moment. After spending the past four years as part of Lost&Found’s early team and supporting families who had lost loved ones to suicide, I realized how far down I was and knew immediately I needed to get help. For one lucid moment, I couldn’t imagine the pain I would have caused my family and friends had I not gotten the help I needed.  

That summer, I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety and began a long-term journey of receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that has been an absolute godsend. Over the past seven years, I’ve been able to dig into behaviors that kept me from living a resilient life and begin to shift my own perceptions of mental health and suicide in the process.  

That same summer, our team at Lost&Found also experienced significant transitions, as our fellow founder, president, and visionary DJ Smith stepped down from the board. While I didn’t know what the future of our suicide prevention organization would be, my experiences with suicide ideation and starting treatment led me to commit to serving as the new, permanent president of Lost&Found.  

Seven years later, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Suicide prevention wasn’t a field I ever thought I’d be in, but if it weren’t for my experiences with depression and suicide ideation, I wouldn’t be as empathetic and committed to serving others through Lost&Found. Though I’ve had my dark days since, I know that I’m equipped and capable of getting the help I need. It’s possible to learn resilience. 

 

What resources have helped you to address this challenge?  

The support of my immediate family, close friends, and professional mentors made it easier for me to both seek professional support and navigate the journey of improving my mental health. Weekly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helped me gradually find hope after experiencing suicide ideation, and I’ve continued CBT on a regular basis over the past seven years to navigate later episodes with depression and anxiety. 

 

Based on your experience, how can we work to build resilience in ourselves, our loved ones, and in our communities to better face life’s challenges? 

No matter how lost you feel now or how much hope you’ve found, we will all face struggles in our lives, big and small. What is important to remember is that we can all learn how to navigate life’s struggles by building up our own resilience and finding ways to help others do the same. We can make life better for others and for our communities in so many ways, but ultimately, it comes back to us. Self-awareness is key to understanding what mental health and resilience look like for you, and as they say, “if you’re pouring from an empty cup,” it’s going to be difficult to contribute to a resilient community. Look inward at your own resilience and seek what you need to grow. Then, look outward at how you can be of service to others. 

 

What is one thing related to mental health, suicide, or resilience that you wish everyone could understand? 

Mental health conditions are one of the biggest risk factors to suicide, but we often forget that life circumstances (e.g., economic distress, relationship challenges, etc.) also create risk for suicide. Do not discount the challenges you and others may be experiencing, because they may become a burden that is too hard to carry. Suicide can impact anyone, and it’s absolutely essential to be mindful of suicide risk for ourselves and for each other.