AJ Nystrom is a mental health patient. He is a former United States federal agent and worked as a correction officer. He is now a certified life coach, author, and public speaker. He was diagnosed with several mental health challenges, which went undiagnosed for eighteen and a half years. AJ was ridiculed extensively when he was young and now is determined to help others who deal with similar challenges.

Contact Info

• Website: Crushcomplacency.com
• Youtube: Crush Complacency

Most Influential Person

• My Grandfather (My first life coach and mentor. He taught me to take a moment and evaluate what that moment truly was).

Effect on Emotions

• I'm on a much more even keel now. The self-awareness part of mindfulness is so important. To recognize when I'm feeling anxious; when I'm feeling depressed and knowing myself well enough to say, okay, you are feeling depressed, you are feeling anxious. Here are the steps you can use to weather the storm. Here are the things that you can do to come out of the storm a little bit quicker.

Thoughts on Breathing

• Breathing is huge for me because it slows everything down. Being in corrections, being in law enforcement, being in high-pressure situations. Being able to regulate my breathing and slow my heart rate down even in the most difficult times is absolutely key and practicing that in the calm times is so important.

Suggested Resources

• Book: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
• App: Timer to Regulate my breathing and the Calendar to stay on track.

Advice for a Mindfulness Newbie

First of all, talk to somebody, please. There's so many people out there that are ready to help. As far as using mindfulness, being able to attach and detach to these thoughts and being able to calmly and rationally work through them is going to be the most effective practice you have at this point if you're not working with anybody. First and foremost, talk with somebody. We are out there to help.