17. Fierce Courage: How Stepping Away And Asking For Help Can Change Your Life with Allan Bester

Welcome back to Warriors Unmasked this week we deep dive into a story that shows what it means to have courage, resilience and mental health. Allan Bester has gone against all odds to find happiness and rest while dealing with an anxiety disorder. 

In today’s episode learn how Allan struggled with an anxiety disorder from a small child all the way through his hockey career and how the stress of performing along with never wanting to fail only caused his mental and physical health to deteriorate all throughout his career. You’ll hear about the moment Allan had enough and did whatever it took to find happiness and hope for life and all that he did. 

Listen in as Allan talks about the awareness factor of his disorder and how keeping it down kept him from realizing that what he was struggling with was not normal, how he began the steps to healing and even how medication has helped create a life that Allan is looking forward to experiencing. We discuss the turning point and the moment things started clicking in his brain thanks to the aid of the medications he had worked through with a trained professional.

We have an open discussion on the steps to take for each person and their own mental health whether it be medications, working through past trauma, or finding triggers we hope you’ll hear how nothing is more important than a healthy mental state and how stepping out and asking for help is only the beginning to your recovery. 

Our hope is that if you learn anything from this episode, let it be that nothing is worth the cost of your mental health and if you have the courage you can reach out and take someone’s hand to start your healing journey today. 

Always in your corner, 

Chuck and Clint

 

More of What We Talk About:

 

• A reflection of how people hide their pain 
• How Allen fooled Chuck and Clint
• The struggle Allan faced at the end of his hockey career
• Is this normal? When Allen realized there may be a problem
• How Allan found ways to be happy
• How Allen’s injury  increased anxiety 
• What it was like for Allen to leave his hockey dream
• How medication helped Allan enjoy and excel at work and life
• Looking back now, what Allan wishes he would have done.
• HELP: The most courageous word you could say 
• And much more!

 

LINKS:

• malarchuk.com/book 
• malarchuk.com 
• www.thecompassionateconnection.com 
• www.warriorsunmasked.com 
• Follow us on Instagram
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Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:40 Get to know Allan Bester
• 2:40 A fond memory from Allan and Clint’s hockey days
• 7:27 How Allen masked his mental health
• 11:30 When Allen wanted off the ice and into the real world 
• 14:19 What it was like being a professional hockey player with anxiety 
• 17:12 How medication has helped Allan
• 21:39 Allan’s spiral downward
• 24:28 Anxiety on and off the ice
• 31:26 What Allen’s life looks like today
• 34:24 Why Chuck looks up to Allen
• 36:15 Closing thoughts and advice