Health Female: How to Fight Depression: The Verywell Mind Podcast

Monday, March 21, 2022

How to Fight Depression: The Verywell Mind Podcast

How to Fight Depression With NFL Reporter Jay Glazer

Amy Morin, LCSW
Verywell Mind Editor-in-Chief

On today's episode, I talk with Jay Glazer, the host of Fox Sports' award-winning NFL pregame show, FOX NFL Sunday. He's developed a reputation for breaking major stories in the NFL throughout the year and he's become the go-to reporter for gaining accurate information about football updates.

He was named Sports Illustrated's Media Person of the Year in 2007. He has previously served as a UFC host and analyst.

Now, he's written a book called "Unbreakable", in which he talks openly about his battle with depression and anxiety. He shares the strategies he uses to manage his mental health.

My wallet is not an antidepressant and I learned that fast."

— Jay Glazer

Why Jay Glazer Is Mentally Strong

Jay began openly talking 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 find help.

He also launched a charitable organization called 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 Hear on the Show

Why Jay named his depression "the gray" and how that helps him
Why he chose to make his mental health struggles public
What Jay discovered about money, success, and depression
Why being in service to others matters so much Jay
How he fights "the gray" with laughter
Why he stopped battling his depression when he was working on his book and what happened to his mental health
What happened when Jay had an anxiety attack on TV
How writing a book about his mental health improved his depression
How you can join him on social media so you have a team to help you with your battles too

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."

— Jay Glazer

What You'll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength

Depression isn't a sign of weakness. In fact, it takes a lot of mental strength to battle depression on a daily basis.

Mental strength is all about the choices you make every day, regardless of whether you have a mental health issue.

In Jay's case, he talks about the steps he takes to battle "the gray" every single day. He took time off from his healthy habits while working on the book and noticed a huge difference in how he feels. Now, he's back to working on building mental strength every day.

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 from 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 start seeing it."

— Jay Glazer