My Journey Through Depression, Stress, and Finding a Way Forward

02.27.2025

My Journey Through Depression, Stress, and Finding a Way Forward

by Jarek Tadla

**Trigger warning: This story mentions suicide**

For most of my life, I lived under the weight of not enoughness. No matter what I achieved—financial success, physical accomplishments, or even fatherhood—I never felt fulfilled. On the outside, I looked like I had it all together. But inside, I was drowning.

Depression and anxiety have a way of creeping into even the most “successful” lives. I convinced myself that if I just worked harder, pushed further, and achieved more, I’d finally feel whole. But no matter how much I accomplished, it was never enough. I was exhausted—mentally, emotionally, and physically—and I was too ashamed to admit it. I had built my identity on being strong, on never showing weakness, on being the one who had it all figured out. The thought of breaking that facade terrified me.

And so, I suffered in silence.

The worst part of depression isn’t just the sadness—it’s the emptiness. It’s waking up every morning feeling like you’re running on fumes, like you’re carrying a weight that no one else can see. It’s knowing you have people who love you, a life that should be fulfilling, and yet still feeling like you’re barely holding on.

I started experiencing suicidal thoughts, and that scared me. I had always been able to push through—power through stress, compartmentalize pain, keep going. But this time, I didn’t know if I could. I reached a breaking point where I had to make a choice: keep pretending, or finally ask for help.

I chose help. For the first time in my life, I stepped into therapy. I remember walking into that first session, feeling like I had failed somehow—like admitting I needed help meant I wasn’t strong enough to handle things on my own. But that was the lie I had been telling myself for years. The truth was, reaching out for help was the strongest thing I had ever done.

Therapy forced me to confront the things I had been running from for years. The perfectionism, the impossible standards I had set for myself, the deep-seated belief that I wasn’t enough no matter what I did. It was uncomfortable at first—I had spent so long suppressing my emotions that learning to actually feel them was overwhelming. But over time, I began to understand my patterns, the way my mind worked, and most importantly, how to separate my thoughts from my reality.

I also turned to movement as a way to heal. Exercise had always been a part of my life, but now it became something more than just physical training—it became therapy in its own right. Running, lifting, pushing my body to its limits—it helped me reconnect with myself in a way I never had before. It gave me an outlet for the emotions I didn’t know how to express. It reminded me that even on my worst days, I was capable of showing up for myself.

But healing wasn’t just about therapy and exercise—it was about learning. I needed to understand my own mind, and that’s when I discovered the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Their website became a lifeline for me. It wasn’t just another mental health resource—it was a place where I could find real, research-backed information about what I was going through. The more I read, the more I understood that I wasn’t alone, that what I was experiencing was real, and that there were proven ways to manage it. Their resources on cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and managing anxiety gave me tools I could actually use in my daily life.

One of the most impactful things I learned was how to reframe my thoughts. Depression and anxiety distort reality, making it easy to believe that things will never get better. But through therapy, exercise, and the guidance I found through ADAA, I learned how to recognize those thoughts for what they were—just thoughts, not truths. I started practicing mindfulness, focusing on the present instead of getting lost in the endless loop of what ifs. I learned how to slow down, how to breathe through the panic, how to separate myself from the overwhelming pressure I had placed on my own shoulders.

It’s been a long road, and I won’t pretend that every day is easy. There are still moments when the darkness creeps back in, when stress threatens to take over. But now, I have the tools to fight back. I know that I don’t have to do it alone. That’s why I started speaking out. Why I wrote my book. Why I launched my podcast. I realized that if I had felt this alone in my struggle, there had to be countless others feeling the same way. Especially men. We’re told to be strong, to keep things to ourselves, to never show weakness. But that silence is killing us.

Last September, I had the opportunity to appear on Good Morning America during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and more recently, I was a guest speaker for NAMI Broward’s virtual event.

These moments weren’t about recognition—they were about breaking the silence. About showing others that it’s okay to struggle, it’s okay to ask for help, and that there is a way forward.

I shared my story with ADAA because I want to reach others, especially men who feel they have to suffer in silence, and show them that healing is possible. ADAA's resources helped me navigate my own struggles with depression and anxiety, and by sharing my story, I hope to add a personal perspective to mental health awareness.

If you’re struggling, know this: You are not alone. Help is out there. Whether it’s therapy, movement, mindfulness, or resources like ADAA, there are tools that can help you manage your pain. You don’t have to fight this battle alone. And no matter what that voice in your head tells you—you are enough.

Watch Jarek Tadla share his personal story of mental health.