Struggling with your mental health or feeling alone in it? In this powerful episode of In the Blink, Ian shares his raw journey through a mental health crisis and the slow road to healing. From suicidal thoughts to the comfort of community, therapy, meditation, and Eastern wisdom, his story offers hope, insight, and a reminder that you’re not alone.

“There’s nothing you’re going to say right now that isn’t okay, that isn’t heard, that is going to throw me into crisis. So go ahead, lay it on me, I’m here just in total solidarity with you” – Ian

Key points to focus on:

• Recognize When You’re in Crisis: Ian’s acute episode—marked by sleeplessness, physical tremors, and suicidal thoughts—highlights the importance of acknowledging when you are in a mental health emergency and seeking help immediately.

• Reach Out and Stay Connected: Rather than isolating, Ian leaned into community. Maintaining honest, open relationships and sharing your struggles can offer critical emotional support and validation.

• Therapy and Medical Intervention Can Be Lifesaving: Despite initial fears, Ian found SSRIs and regular check-ins with mental health professionals to be an essential part of stabilizing his condition.

• Meditation and Eastern Philosophies as Sanctuary: Ian found profound peace through meditation and contemplative teachings, especially those of Adyashanti and Alan Watts, which helped him move beyond intellectual understanding into deeper healing.

• Allow and Surrender: A major theme in Ian’s healing was learning to allow emotions and experiences without resistance—and eventually surrendering to the process, instead of trying to control or fix everything.

• You’re Not Alone—Mental Health Struggles Are More Common Than You Think Ian points out how nearly everyone he knows has struggled with mental health at some point, and breaking the silence around it is crucial for healing both individually and collectively.

• Find Meaning in the Darkness Ian describes how suffering can be transformative and essential to the human experience. It’s often in the darkest places that we find depth, clarity, and a more complete sense of what it means to be human.

About Ian Starr:

Ian’s life was touched by a mental health crisis close to 20 years ago when a dear friend began a personal struggle that eventually took his life. Some years later another friend did the same. In 2020 Ian experienced a nervous breakdown followed by a multiple year struggle with profound anxiety, depression and grief. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was also on a journey of discovery that would yield unforeseen insight. His story is really the story of countless others. He hopes that by sharing it he might in some way be helpful to those that are struggling, to connect in a spirit of loving compassion and let people know that they are not alone on this path. 

Connect with Ian:

Website: https://www.balance-athletics.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balanceathletics/

Connect with Meagan:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meaganoberle/