Mental Health, Workaholic, words we have all heard before, but we dismiss them as not something that relates to us. Michael Weston helps to dispel that myth in a candid account of his life’s journey, laced with both humour and his now philosophical approach to life. Michael helps to remove the stigma that is mental health and makes you realise it can happen and will happen if you fall into the trap of all work and no play. His story shows even through adversity he has come out the other side a stronger individual with the loving support of his family and at the same time continuing to face the demons of mental health head on. A true inspiration.
Michael Weston – Safety Speaker
Michael will walk into your workplace with no obvious injury. He has not lost a limb, he doesn’t need a walking stick or a wheelchair. Yet his injuries are as serious as those who do!
Michael will live the rest of his life with an acquired brain injury (ABI) as a result of a breakdown due to stress and mental fatigue.
A career of 20 years in heavy industry saw Michael rewarded with a leadership role, he not only had to ensure production, but he was responsible for other people. A normal 10 to 12 hour workday often dragged out to 14 and 16 hours, days off were spent answering phone calls from the site or ‘Catching up’ on work that just “Had” to be done.
Work/Life balance became Work/Work balance with a bit of life thrown in when it didn’t interfere with the job.
Something had to give, and it was Michael’s body. He walked out his front door not feeling quite right but knowing he had to get to work and he collapsed on his driveway and was found by his neighbor unconscious and not breathing.
Michael is now affected by; short term memory loss, impaired cognitive function, limited attention span, hypersensitivity to noise and bright light among other health and well-being impacts. In addition to these ailments, Michael was diagnosed with an ABI, Anxiety, Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of how these ailments affected both his working and private life.
