How to Fight Depression With NFL Reporter Jay Glazer

About the Podcast

The Verywell Mind Podcast, hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW, features interviews with authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

About Jay Glazer

Jay Glazer is the host of Fox Sports' award-winning NFL pregame show, FOX NFL Sunday. He is known for breaking major stories in the NFL throughout the year and has become the go-to reporter for accurate information about football updates.

Glazer was recognized as Sports Illustrated's Media Person of the Year in 2007. Previously, he served as a UFC host and analyst.

Glazer has recently written a book called "Unbreakable," where he openly discusses his struggles with depression and anxiety. He shares strategies he uses to manage his mental health.

What Makes Jay Glazer Mentally Strong?

Glazer began speaking openly about his depression at a time when few celebrities or athletes were talking about it. He wanted to reduce the stigma and encourage others who are struggling to seek help.

He also started a charitable organization, MVP (Merging Vets and Players), which pairs former combat veterans with former professional athletes to help each other transition into new phases of their lives after their work on the battlefields and playing fields has ended.

What You'll Learn on the Podcast

In this episode of the Verywell Mind Podcast, Glazer discusses:

• Why he named his depression "the gray" and how that helps him.
• Why he chose to open up about his mental health struggles.
• What he discovered about money, success, and depression.
• Why being of service to others matters so much to him.
• How he fights "the gray" with laughter.
• Why he stopped battling his depression while writing his book and what happened to his mental health.
• What happened when he experienced an anxiety attack live on TV.
• How writing a book about his mental health improved his depression.
• How you can join him on social media for support on your own mental health battles.

Mental Health and Mental Strength Insights

• Depression is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it takes mental strength to battle depression daily.
• Mental strength is about the choices you make every day, regardless of whether you have a mental health issue.
• Glazer discusses the steps he takes to combat "the gray" daily. He noticed a significant difference in his mental health when he took a break from his healthy habits while writing the book. Now, he's back to working on building mental strength daily.

Quotes From Jay Glazer

• "Of all the great things that I've done that we talk about—it's because I don't know how to love myself from the inside out. I go do all these great things to get some love for the outside in. And I hope at one point—I’m still a work in progress—but I hope at one point they can maybe meet in the middle. I can learn how to love myself from the inside out and, and start seeing it."
• "My wallet is not an antidepressant and I learned that fast."
• "I still can't compare myself to everybody else's filtered fraction of a second and go, 'man, I feel left out of this,' or 'my life sucks compared to that person.' And if I feel that, think how many others feel that. We see so much hate on Twitter. The human condition is not meant for that."
• "On TV in 2005, I had my first anxiety attack in an empty stadium. The walls just started caving in. My heart started racing. My eyes started flickering, started sweating, like crazy. My hands were shaking like this, but back then we weren’t talking about mental health and anxiety attacks. I thought I was having a heart attack."

More About the Podcast

The Verywell Mind Podcast is available on all streaming platforms. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Reviews and ratings help encourage others to listen and prioritize their mental health as well.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about Jay Glazer: Website, Twitter, Instagram
• Check out Jay's book Unbreakable: How I Overcame the Odds and Became the Man I Was Meant to Be

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