Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbAZeaI8iH8 Starts at: 01:57:44 (jump to 01:57:44)
Dylan Ignacio - Law Enforcement Mental Health & One Less Nonprofit
[01:57:44] And then the officer that took him into custody is gloating about it, probably because he’s reflecting, you know, his own issues. [01:57:54] You know what I mean? Or hers. [01:57:56] So I spent one year trying to figure it out on my own. [01:58:00] I was like, I need to take some proactive steps to get myself better because it was clear to see my lifestyle in that moment was not healthy. [01:58:10] So I started reading a lot more. [01:58:14] I started cleaning up my diet. [01:58:16] I started taking proactive steps to clean my apartment. [01:58:18] I started to drink less. [01:58:21] Got really big into physical fitness like a lot of the guys in my career field do. [01:58:26] And when I say guys, I mean like generally like guys and girls. [01:58:30] And so basically I started going all in for a year and I thought I had it all figured out. [01:58:37] I got a year into this thing. [01:58:38] I got shredded. [01:58:39] You know what I mean? [01:58:40] I got, you know, I had my meals prepped. [01:58:41] I had everything put together. [01:58:43] I had the books ready. [01:58:44] I had, I was ready to go. [01:58:45] I was like, I’m good to go. [01:58:47] And then the thought lingered again. [01:58:49] And I was like, what the? [01:58:52] Yeah. [01:58:53] Yeah. [01:58:55] Yeah. [01:58:55] Yeah. [01:58:58] So it came back and I was like, damn, what’s going on? [01:59:03] I know I’m making light of it because when I get nervous, I make jokes. [01:59:05] So it was a very dark moment. [01:59:08] But and consistently it was just a cloud. [01:59:11] It was like a cloud that had formed over my head. [01:59:13] I just didn’t know what to do. [01:59:14] So finally, I reach out to a sergeant who I trusted at the time and I said, I need help. [01:59:21] What do I do? [01:59:22] He’s like, call his number. [01:59:24] Okay. [01:59:25] Call the number and I go through our local services. [01:59:30] Has anybody in here had a bad experience with a therapist? [01:59:33] Yeah. [01:59:34] I have to thank almost all of us. [01:59:37] Yeah. [01:59:37] So just to make that story short, she was late for the appointment at the very. [01:59:44] She, she complained about the three jobs she had prior and that’s why she was late to the appointment and then she ended our conversation by going, if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email, but don’t shoot me. [01:59:55] And I was like, I was like, damn, I was like, that’s aggressive, right? [02:00:01] I was like, I ain’t never going back to her again. [02:00:04] Um, so it’s soiled my, my want to see a therapist anymore. [02:00:08] I was like, well, whatever. [02:00:09] I don’t need therapy. [02:00:10] I’m going to continue doing my thing. [02:00:11] I got everything squared away. [02:00:12] I’m good. [02:00:12] I’ll read the books. [02:00:13] I’ll figure it out. [02:00:14] Myself. [02:00:14] I’ll watch a YouTube video. [02:00:15] You know, if I can learn to create a business on YouTube, I could damn sure to learn how to therapy, you know, be my own therapist. [02:00:21] So continue to go through it, continue to go through it. [02:00:23] And I still had this lingering thought. [02:00:28] Oh, and then finally, and I’m still like in this growth process as we speak. [02:00:35] Um, but finally I realized that you just got to dabble, right? [02:00:37] With therapy, you kind of got to dabble. [02:00:39] You got to find your person. [02:00:40] Not everybody. [02:00:41] It’s not always that it’s a bad therapist. [02:00:42] You’re just two different people. [02:00:43] It’s like a relationship. [02:00:44] You’re not, I mean, I mean, it’s like if you met your girlfriend on the first date, like I thought I did one time and then let down a year long toxic relationship, um, but you know, but if you think you’re just going to find it the first round, you might not. [02:00:56] Um, and it’s all about that. [02:00:59] It’s all about finding that person and then putting in the work. [02:01:03] Um, so, and if this conversation goes sideways, I got ADD, so it might just, you know, we might populate, you might spiral here a little bit. [02:01:12] But I’m trying to get the point across here is. [02:01:13] Is that once I was able to get a grasp, my own mental health, I wanted to give back. [02:01:20] And I feel like that’s what a lot of people do. [02:01:21] We want to get back. [02:01:22] Right. [02:01:23] So I was like, let me start a nonprofit. [02:01:24] I don’t even know what that means. [02:01:26] Let me figure that out. [02:01:28] Um, I launched the nonprofit the month before really the riots started, um, in my profession, uh, well around, you know, around the nation. [02:01:40] So then the prioritization of the nonprofit. [02:01:43] It kind of took a back seat because at that point, um, I was a part of a bunch of different specialized units for the police department that required me to possibly respond to certain incidents, um, as part of our special operations team for a little bit as a part of our, um, civil disturbance unit, which are the ones that, um, respond to the protest. [02:02:02] I was, I’m also CISM certified anybody with critical incident stress management certified mental health first aid. [02:02:13] CIT. [02:02:17] Okay. [02:02:17] I’m gonna make another joke. [02:02:18] Have you ever been in one of those classes or taking a class like that? [02:02:20] And you’re like, damn, those are all me. [02:02:24] And then you’re like, you know, I hope they don’t notice. [02:02:25] Cause they’re going to take my credit away. [02:02:27] Um, so I started this nonprofit one less, it was a sour thought. [02:02:32] I was like, what am I going to call this thing? [02:02:33] Like, I don’t know. [02:02:34] One less, make it very simple. [02:02:36] It could be one less, anything, one less drink, you know, one less toxic relationship, you know, uh, one less day. [02:02:43] Self-hate, uh, you know, and, and the bigger picture, one less suicide. [02:02:49] Right. [02:02:50] So that’s why I started it. [02:02:51] Um, we have, I say, wait, it’s just me. [02:02:54] Um, five episodes on our podcast. [02:02:57] Instagram is the best way to get ahold of us. [02:02:59] Um, I keep saying us, it will be bigger. [02:03:02] Um, but man, it’s one less one L E S S underscore or on Instagram. [02:03:09] I also have a blog. [02:03:09] It’s Dylan Ignacio.com. [02:03:13] Talk about. [02:03:13] Uh, mental health and my experiences and just some tips and tricks. [02:03:17] Um, but things like this are very important for us to be able to just all come out and speak our truth. [02:03:25] Right. [02:03:26] Um, I got asked by Tyler, um, to come speak at this event. [02:03:31] And it’s kind of funny too, because of everything that’s happened the past year, I lost, uh, my motivation and my inspiration to continue with one less because of everything that had happened. [02:03:43] Um, [02:03:43] so I think I, I think it’s important as a law enforcement officer to give like a little bit of perspective of, of my thoughts about from a mental health perspective, what this past year has done to me and my profession in the, in the sense of, from a mental health perspective, specifically, [02:03:58] um, with everything that’s happened and what I’ve noticed with a lot of people that I’ve, I’ve worked with is to see that ADD just track back. [02:04:08] Um, the original plan I was trying to make is then I got invited to this event. [02:04:12] Um, and it really sparked my interest in, in getting it back going again. [02:04:17] That’s what I meant. [02:04:17] So thank you so much for providing that for me. [02:04:20] Um, but I want to, I want to give some perspective on that because I wasn’t really sure what, honestly, what this was about too much, but I think it is important just for people to understand, uh, that maybe aren’t on, uh, in my profession to understand what it might’ve done. [02:04:34] Um, and what it has done a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives, um, unfortunately, because of what’s happened is it’s stripped. [02:04:42] The purpose away from people who are wearing the uniform, uh, for a lot of people, like their purpose, as far as like what they do. [02:04:48] And if anybody knows law enforcement, it’s, it’s very self rewarding. [02:04:52] So it’s one of those professions where you rely on the impact that you have on the community in order to feel sufficient for all the things that you experience. [02:05:01] And then when those traumatic experiences start tallying up and you don’t feel like you’re appreciated, it starts to quickly deteriorate your mental health. [02:05:09] Um, and that’s somewhat of the experience. [02:05:12] And then. [02:05:12] From my specific, um, also things I’m noticing now is we have a lot of people leaving the department, uh, people that I have a lot of respect for people who are, who are really, really, uh, who are really, really good, good people are leaving the department because they’re realizing, unfortunately, that their self worth is more than what they’re experiencing in the job. [02:05:32] Um, and I tell anybody, like, if you really don’t like the job and you hate people that you need to leave anyways, like, that’s just one of those things I’m all for that, but we don’t have those people leaving because they don’t have any other options. [02:05:42] Uh, we have people leaving that truly, truly, uh, care about the job, but this has taken that from them, um, and that is not to suppress any of the real issues we have in America that need to be addressed. [02:05:54] That’s just more of a perspective from the law enforcement perspective and everything that we’re seeing in the street, um, you know, and, uh, and things like that, and then watching the crime rise and then seeing the lack of opportunity continue to, to, uh, replicate itself. [02:06:09] I’m a big, uh, my full time job in the police bar right now. [02:06:12] His community outreach, um, I’ve been a board member of the local Boys and Girls Club chapter for three years. [02:06:18] I’m on the, uh, I’m on the safety committee for all greater Washington Boys and Girls Club. [02:06:24] I have been for the past three years, um, and so I can, I see, and I’m from born and raised in the city that I serve in my dad to 25 years there. [02:06:33] My mom just retired as this is the principal of the local high school, so my family is like bread into where I serve. [02:06:40] And so you can tell for somebody who really. [02:06:42] Does care about the community and that this has totally shafted my mentality, um, and has definitely made me explore avenues to get out of the job, um, because at some point just, you’re just like, damn, I can’t take it anymore. [02:06:57] Um, I don’t, I don’t know, like anywhere I go, I get criticized. [02:07:00] I don’t, I don’t know what to do anymore. [02:07:02] So, uh, with that being said, I’m going to recap it back into the mental health segment is that I don’t believe to be quite honest. [02:07:12] I don’t believe that if I wouldn’t have put in the work years prior that I would have been able to make it through what just happened this past couple of years to be quite honest with you, I don’t believe if I wouldn’t have put in the work that it took to build up my mental fortitude and to build, build up my resiliency that I would be standing here before you guys to talk about mental health among law enforcement and the nonprofit that I’m building. [02:07:39] Um, and that’s just real. [02:07:41] And I hope that gives some. [02:07:42] Encouragement for people who are going through it, because something that you realize as you start, and I think a lot of people in here can resonate with this, is that once you make that decision, hey, I want to better myself, I want to be a better person. [02:07:54] It could be in what, in whatever. [02:07:56] For some people, it is an extreme low. [02:07:57] For me, it was out of survivability. [02:07:59] It’s like, I need to change something or I’m not, I’m not going to make it. [02:08:02] Um, once you take that journey, it doesn’t get easier, but it’s very rewarding. [02:08:09] It’s a very rewarding process to wake up every day. [02:08:12] Do your affirmations, practice your gratitude, meditate, put things in your body, such as whole foods that help with your gut health so you can help your brain, you know, your mental health, check in with your therapist, or I like to call a mental health mentor, right? [02:08:26] These things are very, very important to have a successful daily life. [02:08:32] And I find it, um, sad that it took me having to want to end my own life to get to a place where I wanted to finally be a better person. [02:08:42] And I find it, um, sad that it took me having to want to end my own life to get to a place where I wanted to finally be a better person. [02:08:42] And I find it, um, sad that it took me having to want to end my own life to get to a place where I wanted to finally be a better person. [02:08:43] Right? [02:08:44] And we don’t all have to get there, um, in order to take those steps. [02:08:48] So, from the one lesson’s perspective, to give you an idea of what our goals are, is, our goal is to be a central hub of resources, free resources for first responders. [02:09:00] Um, what that, what that means is, I, to get to a point where we have an integrative map so if you’re a first responder anywhere in the nation, you can click on that map and you can see any kind of resources from, you know, from, you know, from the first responders. [02:09:12] To nutritionists, to therapists, to whatever resources you need, uh, that will be provided for you by vetted, um, by vetted resources, right? [02:09:25] So that’s kind of what we’re doing because in order for, and I think that also to piece that in is that if there’s one thing that everybody can share in common, whether we’re, um, therapists, whether we’re police officers, whether we’re artists, whatever you are, is mental health. [02:09:42] We all have that in common. [02:09:44] We’re all going through some shit, right? [02:09:46] Like, we’re all going through it, right? [02:09:48] And we need to be. [02:09:50] Thank you. [02:09:52] And I think we should take that and use it as fuel to build better communities, to educate on, you know, integrative nutrition, to make mental health practices a normality. [02:10:06] Um, and we can do that. [02:10:08] You know, um, we can do that together. [02:10:10] I mean, we are doing it together. [02:10:12] Look at what we got going on here. [02:10:14] So with that being said, I hope, you know, first speaking engagement, I hope, you know, hope that went well. [02:10:20] And, uh, thank you.