What is the Mental Battle and what does it mean to have the support of the men in the Gloom?

Stories like this are always hard to start. I feel like I should start by sharing a bit about my time with F3.

I was EHed by Anchorman of F3 Alliance in 2021. He and I have been friends and coworkers for a long time and have also ridden bicycles for a few years. In Summer of 2021, Anchorman approached me about F3. I had a lot of excuses and was training for a pretty big ride in Texas called the Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred. We rode together and after that weekend I told him I would come out.

Prior to F3 and prior to the pandemic, I had been heavily involved in men’s ministry at the church and had led men’s groups and men’s special events. Hearing about F3 from Anchorman, my draw to F3 was not the fitness, it was the fellowship. I know how important brotherly love is, and even more important it is to have support from friends during tough times. My family and I fell out of the church during the pandemic and although we had a few friends in the neighborhood, I really missed the brotherly support that came from the church.

Time to go back a bit, as a boy I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. My father is now diagnosed with bipolar disorder and although I show symptoms of being bipolar I have been able to manage my mental health with the right medication and the proper counseling. As a boy, I spent time in mental health facilities and attended military school.

Many of these problems I dealt with as a boy, I ignored as a grown man to my own detriment. Prior to F3 there were times that my own family didn’t want to be around me because of the level of anger I possessed. I eventually sought help and began taking medication for my illness.

Let's come back to the now, after starting F3 I jumped in with both feet. I launched an AO shortly after joining because I wanted to be able to share with my neighbors what I had found. In the Spring of 2022, I found out about the Mental Battle WOD by just hanging out on Twitter. I decided I wanted to bring this to the Alliance Region. I led the Mental Battle WOD for my brothers and then during COT I shared my own story. My own struggles with depression and anxiety and how being at F3 helped me deal with everyday stresses. I was so fortunate that my brothers in the Gloom allowed me to be vulnerable - to share my struggles. Some of them shared their own struggles. Knowing that I am not alone is one of the best feelings in the world. It allows me to be very real with things that I am dealing with and I believe it also allows the others guys to be vulnerable as well.

There are specific scriptures I share in my COTs when it comes to mental health. The one that I hold closest is Matthew 6:34 which says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

I feel like I have shared that scripture in so many COTs but it’s only because of how important it is to me. “Today is enough,' is what I tell the guys.

The benefits to F3 when it comes to mental health really are countless. Those of us who have chemical imbalances benefit from the endorphins and adrenaline that a workout brings. (F1) Receiving support from my friends about my struggles allows me to be real with them (F2). And being able to lead those who also struggle with the same things allows me to live outside of myself and help other men find balance in their lives (F3).

When I post at an F3 beatdown, it’s not just a workout for me, it’s like going to see my counselor. If I’m down about something, typically another PAX will call me out, “SC, what’s going on? You aren’t yourself.” These are the moments when I realize how important F3 really is to me.

- F3 Short Circuit (back row, second from the left) F3 Alliance