Today’s #SameHere🤙Hero: Austin Byler
Austin is just a solid dude. We met of all places, on LinkedIn, & hit it off on the phone. He’s someone who has been in MLB farm systems as a player, & is now looking to give back through his own initiative we’ll share more about in the coming months.
Austin describes his battle with anxiety, how his failure on a drug test during his playing days sent him into a further anxious spiral, how CBD, meditation, & religion have all helped him tremendously. With a new lease on life, no longer burdened w the same level of anxiety, he’s looking to help others. Please welcome him!
“Throughout my entire life I have experienced this underlying tension… this sort of feeling that was holding me back from pushing through the wall & accomplishing anything I could dream of…this overwhelming hold on my life that didn’t allow me to be who I was meant to be…& that feeling was anxiety.
For years I tried to self medicate with prescription medication & outside sources that only masked this feeling. And then I failed a drug test in professional baseball, & that sent my anxiety through the roof. Every time I received a phone call from a random number I would immediately have a panic attack, succumbing to this feeling of being stuck. I was not able to truly function at the level I wanted to, & I did not know how to handle this whatsoever.
The symptoms affected my mental state of mind tremendously. I was extremely nervous to speak up about this issue, so naturally I let it ruminate inside until it became too much. I went to a doctor & asked for help, & all they did was prescribe me more medication.
Great, right? This is going to be the magic fix! Wrong. I turned into a walking zombie, taking naps in the middle of the day & feeling lonely inside, without a purpose. I had everything I could have ever dreamed of- an amazing girlfriend, family, & friends, but this underlying anxiety held me back from breaking out into the person God intended me to become.
I finally found a relief, and this relief was Real Scientific Hemp Oil. For those of you who do not know what this is, CBD oil is a natural derivative of the Hemp plant, which is rich in CBD (non psychoactive) and low in THC(psychoactive, high feeling). Thanks to Jeff Lessard and the company I now work with – Kannaway, I was able to find some relief from these symptoms within 3 days. It was like a whole new life was ahead of me. My mind was clear, the fogginess went away, & I had a different bounce in my step. I’ll forever be thankful for the Lessard family & them introducing me to this incredible plant that is here to heal & nurture our bodies.
I also highly recommend the bible & meditation. The bible was my saving grace, a sanctuary that I could turn to & learn from daily that gave me a purpose & a calling. This was immediately implemented into my routine thanks to one of my mentors Matt Palmer, someone who has always looked out for me.
Meditation is an amazing practice that allows my mind to be free of stress & worry, & allows me to focus on the task at hand. I do this every morning right after I read the bible because it sets my entire day at ease & in a positive state of mind. The problem is our society today is so wrapped up in the “reactive” state of mind. The first thing we do when we wake up is check our phones, & the last thing we do before bed is check our phones. This causes a disconnection between the mind & the body, allowing stress & worry to creep in.
People were very accepting when I first came out about my anxiety. They were so supportive & loving which made me feel at peace & thankful. Obviously anytime you are disclosing something that no one knows about, you are worried about the feedback. But in this case, people were incredibly supportive & it’s changed my life. If you are going through something right now, whether it’s anxiety, sleep apnea, chronic illness, or if you are just simply overwhelmed, you are not alone. I am here for you. Eric is here for you. The #SameHere🤙movement is here for you. Thanks to this group & others like this there are millions of people impacted daily.”
