(Mental) Health Conversion

Sometimes our world seems full of angry people, especially in this industry, and I touched on that a few months ago. Now, I don't believe there are as many as we might think, but they seem everywhere because these jerks, assholes, etc., consume much more space and airtime than non-assholes. However, unless you're living under a rock, the odds are you will confront one at some point in your day. You may be in the unfortunate position where you live or work with the same one every day, or it could be the stranger sitting next to you on the subway or walking down the street.

Jerks aren't exclusive to one industry, either. But interestingly, all the non-jerks have a general consensus about who the assholes in their industry are. Buddy Rich, considered one of the great jazz drummers of his era, was a notorious asshole amongst musicians. Is there anyone who works for Elon Musk who, if given amnesty, would not call him an asshole? The list of known jerks is long. They come in different shapes, sizes, income brackets, and social backgrounds - but let's be honest, they are often men.

After dealing with my fair share and much angst about the correct way to deal with them, I have realized one important thing.

These people have a disability - a severe personality disorder.

As with most disorders, until a person is diagnosed or becomes aware of their issue, it is challenging for them to get the help they need. Half of the solution to the problem is recognizing and admitting that you have a problem.

And here's the thing.......I don't believe that anyone who is an asshole wants to be an asshole, much like I don't think someone with substance abuse issues wants to be an addict.

I spent three-plus hours of my week listening to an episode of Dr. Andrew Huberman's "Huberman Lab" with Dr. Peter Attia as his guest. One of the best podcasts about health and wellness out there. They discussed "Improving Vitality, Emotional and Physical Health and Lifespan." At the end of the episode, Dr. Attia discussed his experience with anger and the eventual treatment he received to save his emotional health. He shared that he struggled with anger issues his entire life, which led him to seek therapy and work on anger management techniques to become a better husband, father, and person. He was fortunate that colleagues, friends, and family staged an intervention and that he had the means, and willingness, to seek the right help. Not all people are as lucky or determined to get the needed treatment. The male ego typically doesn't respond well to needing help from anyone.

Additionally, part of the challenge is the stigma associated with this disorder. Yes, some jerks wear being a jerk like a badge of honor, but I believe most don't want this burden. Emotional stress can harm physical health, including increasing inflammation and weakening the immune system.

We must destigmatize people seeking help for emotional issues and encourage everyone to prioritize their emotional well-being and physical health. We must also create a safe environment for people with mental health issues to seek help. Affordable places and closer to home. Dr. Attia, a person with means, had to fly to a retreat in another state to get help. We should be able to provide the resources people need close to home.

One idea with these empty office buildings might be to convert some into health and wellness centers. There are certainly a lot of people out there who could use it.

Side Bar:

There is so much information out there; filtering through it all to find the nuggets is a challenge. The Huberman Lab Podcast is one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify for a good reason. It's well worth the time. If you don't have the time, check out: HUBERMAN.RILE.YT It's an AI website that will give you cliff notes to the episodes.

Let’s do this.

Shaun