"When you feel like everything’s stripped away, you know, you wrestle with that question “Well, who am I and what am I all about? Where am I going? What are my options?” … and I think that’s where you grow the most."
Jesse Bradley
Sep 13, 2021
EFR 524: Surviving the Darkness of Mental Health, Physical Illness, and Hopelessness with Jesse Bradley
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EFR 524: Surviving the Darkness of Mental Health, Physical Illness, and Hopelessness with Jesse Bradley
Every child has a dream of what they’ll be when they grow up. For Jesse Bradley, his dream was to be a professional athlete. His dream came to fruition, but at a price he never imagined he’d have to pay.
During his time traveling the world, he landed in Zimbabwe playing professional men’s soccer. Though, medication meant to protect him from malaria brought on a brutal bout of illness, ending his dream career. “… and yet, it was the greatest growth period of my life,” he says, “I was fighting for my life for one year, it took 10 years to fully recover.”
When it seems like your life is falling apart, what do you rely on? For many, it’s hope, yet half of Americans experience hopelessness.
The good news is there are simple steps you can take to overcome hopelessness and find the light at the end of the tunnel. Jesse Bradley is here to share what he’s learned from his inspiring journey of illness, recovery, forgiveness, and resilience.
Follow Jesse @jessejbradley
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
Key Highlights
Jesse sheds light on how vulnerability helped him learn to grieve and still have hope, despite the pain and loss he was experiencing.
Surviving the darkness of mental health and suicidal thoughts.
Jesse shares his thoughts on his relationship with hope and how his definition of hope has changed since becoming ill.
The impact of forgiveness, relationships, and gratitude on your quality of life.
Jesse gives insight into how to overcome hopelessness and start a forgiveness practice.
Powerful Quotes by Jesse Bradley
When you feel like everything’s stripped away, you know, you wrestle with that question “Well, who am I and what am I all about? Where am I going? What are my options?” … and I think that’s where you grow the most.
When that, in the deepest part of my being, is there, that connection, that love from God, that seemed to rescue me from those options of anything I could do to harm myself.
Hope is much more of a foundation than a feeling.