Hayden Hurst’s story, and Why Mental Health is Incredibly Important.

It's no secret around the office that I'm a fan of Atlanta sports. And yes, I'm not one of the best fans, because I'm very critical of team haha.

But this season has certainly been an interesting one, and while Atlanta has been up and down, one of the biggest ups was the acquisition of a tight end, who has ended up showing something that many should be okay with talking about, Hayden Hurst.

The Falcons traded for Hurst, and at the time I was unsure of this new player. My problem in sports is I tend to stick to one team and generally look around the league to spot potential players with that "it" factor. Hurst, through his play, has shown that he is a fantastic tight end, but something I really love is when somebody is a fantastic human being as well.

What I didn't know about Hayden is that in 2016, he almost wasn't with us. Hayden was battling with depression, and in that dark place, he attempted suicide. Fate had other plans, and since then Hayden has dedicated himself to mental health awareness.

Talking about mental health shouldn't be an issue. And with everything that happened in 2020, we all have have felt lonely, or even worse.

And that include the person who wrote this article.

Earlier this year, I came down with COVID. I was so scared for those days after I tested positive that I had infected my loved ones or my coworkers with it that I almost couldn't take the thought of someone else testing positive.

It put me in a dark place, and I just didn't want to talk anybody about it, let alone type it out.

Had someone else came down with COVID, I probably would have taken my own life, because I viewed myself as a terrible coworker. I had no intention of hurting my friends, but as the first case, I just didn't know how to react.

I never acted on those feelings because everyone at work was safe, but I still look back on that day as one I'd like to forget.

And if we're to be completely honest, those thoughts are still around and linger because 2020 has just been a rough year, and sometimes it gets unbearable. But listeners and readers like you keep me smiling, especially when people say they listen to us.

And I hope through these words, and me admitting what I went through, that we can move forward together.

If you'd like to support the Hayden Hurst foundation, click here. And to see Hayden Hurst's story click here for Part 1, and here for Part 2.

You matter, and people love you, don't ever forget that.