Tag Page TheStruggleIsReal

#TheStruggleIsReal
Denny Crane

My journey through hell I am 60 years old, tired, wore out, down, out depressed, PTSD, bipolar man

What’s really left to do. I’ve worked my whole life, all my kids are gone, three grandchildren and too little time. Being on a fixed income in this economy is more than a struggle, it’s a death sentence for the older generation. I am a loner by choice, single, married 3 times and done with relationships. My life consists on getting up at 4am every morning no matter what time I fall asleep, if I do, and then sit around all day with nothing to do. The economy has sucked the life out of me. I had to resort to moving out of my 2 bedroom apartment, into a 300 square foot studio apartment. This was not how I saw my life going. I’ve got maybe 14-15 good years left. Since 2005, I’ve had 10 surgeries, numerous shots, daily meds. Not sure why I’m even writing this all down. No hobbies, hate television, music occasionally and some reading. What a life. Thanks for listening #TheStruggleIsReal

My journey through hell I am 60 years old, tired, wore out, down, out depressed, PTSD, bipolar man
Andrew Goltz

Reprogramming the Mind After Prison

It’s strange to admit this, but sometimes I have to lock myself in the bathroom just to calm my anxiety. I’ll freeze in the grocery store, staring at the cereal aisle — too many choices, too much noise. I’ve gotten so overwhelmed that I’ve just walked out with nothing. There are times in a restaurant when I can’t even eat. The movement, the chatter, the people walking past — my brain focuses on everything except the food in front of me. These are all signs of institutionalization. When you’ve lived in a place where survival depends on routine, control, and hyper-awareness, your mind changes. You reprogram yourself — not by choice, but by necessity. Most of us don’t realize how deep those changes go until we’re free again. And that’s when the anxiety hits hardest. You feel different. You know you’re different. And that knowledge alone can be crushing. Institutionalization is a kind of mental illness — an unintended consequence of the last 45 years of mass incarceration in America. Until a person actively works to reprogram their brain again, they’re at real risk of reoffending. So if you know someone going through this, show empathy. Ask how they’re feeling. Listen without judgment. You might be the one person who helps them stay free. About the author: Andrew Goltz writes about criminal justice, reentry, resilience, and recovery after incarceration — drawing from lived experience to shed light on the human #TheStruggleIsReal #Institutionalization #CriminalJusticeReform #Reentry #MentalHealthAwarenessNeeded #Anxiety #MassIncarceration #LifeAfterPrison

Reprogramming the Mind After Prison
Red

My Journey

I know that each of us are struggling in some capacity or the other, and I’m just looking back on how times were a couple of years ago compared to now. It seems that every day things get a little harder and harder. In 2020 I was working a job that I truly enjoyed, and it was even better when I was able to work from home. I’ve been in Customer Service for over 15 years and I love helping people. I was working for the State of Wisconsin Unemployment, and I really enjoyed my job. My journey began in 2022 when I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer which forced me to take leave from my job to fight this battle. It was a long journey, and eventually I was forced to retire early because of the time I needed for my treatment. Even though I’m not cancer free, I’m still here, and I thank God for the time he’s giving me. Now that I’m feeling so much better, I have been ready to go back to work, but I feel like I’m being discriminated against because of my age. I’ve filled out so many applications, and now because of how times are now, my want has turned into need because things are so expensive now. Even though, yes, I’m an older adult, but my mind is still very sharp, I’m tech savvy, I have 2 degrees, but it seems none of that matters. Some days I want to give up, but then I think to myself I’m not a quitter, and I start all over again. I tell you the struggle is very real, and I’m just going to hold on to my faith, and trust in God to bring me through this journey. #TheStruggleIsReal

My Journey
Lashaun 🏳️‍🌈

Church Hurt…. It’s a real thing my Personal experience with it.

Hello my name is Lashaun, I’m From Toledo OH, and here is my story of a struggle that is so real to me that I’ve experienced this past summer. Ok so sometime back in July, I went through something very serious and life altering, I went to my pastor, in confidence to share what I had been through. I was completely open and honest about what had happened to me, so we talked on the phone and once I shared what had happened, he told me I was no longer allowed to come back to church for 30 days. Because it would hurt his church members, I cried to him saying I don’t understand, I thought you loved me as my pastor, ……… he never prayed for me on the phone he never said it’s going to be okay, just basically threw me away, after I had been a member there for 5 years. What happened didn’t even take place in church or anything, that was the most hurt I’ve ever experienced in my life, I couldn’t believe he had done that to me and you call yourself a God fearing man. I could of easily exposed him, I could of told all the church business of all the wrong doing there, but I didn’t God sent someone in my life, to give me strength, and tell me it was going to be ok. As a leader you have to be careful and how you treat people, no matter what I’ve experienced , or anybody else you should never treat anybody like that and you call yourself a PASTOR. So if anybody has ever been through church hurt I’m sorry that happened to you, . So the story is I found a new church home and recently got baptized, God gave me grace and stepped right in. #TheStruggleIsReal #ChurchDrama #Church #ChurchNews #Toledo #ChurchReform #LGBTQ

Church Hurt…. It’s a real thing my Personal experience with it.
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