Trigger Warning: Suicide and Suicidal Ideation Ups + Downs is a film by freeski athlete Drew Petersen which chronicles his battle with his mental health. Drew has a lifelong struggle with PTSD, bipolar disorder, brain injury, depression, and suicidal thoughts. During a trip to Mt Hood, Oregon, he heard the crack of rock fall and was subsequently hit with a microwave size boulder. After his accident the first thought of every day and the last thought of every day was that he should kill himself. One day he was sitting on a bench watching cars drive by, crying all alone, powerless and consumed by his thoughts. Sitting along in his room praying that he made it through the day until tomorrow.
Trigger Warning: Suicide and Suicidal Ideation
Ups + Downs is a film by freeski athlete Drew Petersen which chronicles his battle with his mental health. Drew has a lifelong struggle with PTSD, bipolar disorder, brain injury, depression, and suicidal thoughts. During a trip to Mt Hood, Oregon, he heard the crack of rock fall and was subsequently hit with a microwave size boulder. After his accident the first thought of every day and the last thought of every day was that he should kill himself. One day he was sitting on a bench watching cars drive by, crying all alone, powerless and consumed by his thoughts. Sitting along in his room praying that he made it through the day until tomorrow.
Drew reached out for help.
“When I expressed this to my therapist several years ago, she shared this advice:
Think about it like the safety talk when you board an airplane. The stewardess says, “If the cabin loses pressure, oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling. Make sure your mask is secure before helping those around you.”
It took multiple years of therapy and hard work for me to get my mask on securely. About a year ago, early in the 2020-2021 ski season, I told my therapist that I was confident that my mask was on. What I had realized and have learned to accept was that my mask was not perfectly sealed nor leak-proof—and it might not be for the rest of my life. But I decided that for me, my mask is secure enough that it’s not going to fall off. The seal still breaks on occasion and it leaks, but I’m confident that I now have the tools, systems, and help to readjust it when necessary, tighten the straps, and keep on breathing.”
Listen to an emotionally charged and deeply personal conversation between Drew and Kari as they discuss his past and current struggles with his mental health and how he is channeling his experience to help middle and highschoolers.
You can watch his move Ups + Downs at: https://www.drew-petersen.com
Listen on your favorite podcast station or watch on our YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/Ya5KlWViGXE
For additional resources visit us at: https://robbies-hope.com
Follow us on Instagram (robbieshope1), YouTube (robbieshope), and Facebook (robbieshope2018)