This week, the TNQ Podcast brings you the inspiring never-quit journey of Aaron Quinonez – aka “Sgt. Q” – a Marine Corps Veteran, speaker, author, father, and PTSD ambassador.
Having been raised in a rough, homeless environment surrounded by people in the drug trade, Aaron became a marine right out of high school.
What he didn’t know is that his real battle would be fought in his mind. Sgt. Q suffered from depression, anger, and panic attacks and was diagnosed with PTSD. He nearly ended his own life in the parking lot of a church, where later he was redeemed by Jesus Christ, who gave him a new life.
When he volunteered to build housing for a family in Mexico, Quinonez was so inspired by the experience that he founded the organization, Q Missions, to bring Veterans together to construct buildings around the world and bring mental healing through mission service.
Quinonez authored the book: Healing Thru Service, The Warrior’s Guidebook to Overcoming Trauma.
In this episode you will hear:
I grew up with rednecks, hippies, and pot farmers. Everybody I knew growing up was involved in the drug trade.
To be homeless as a kid is a trip.
My work ethic came from my mom, struggling to raise four kids as a single mother.
I was once on the school bus driving thru the pouring rain and saw a lady carrying two garbage bags, and as we passed I realized - it’s my mom.
You gotta reposition your mindset from negative experiences to find something positive and focus on that, because what you focus on - your brain will find more of.
If you have one trauma, another trauma will stick to it and eventually become PTSD.
Your brain is like a weapon – if it’s malfunctioning you do a function check, and you get back in the fight.
I went from the battlefield to my front door in less than 48 hours, so there wasn’t any out-processing.
It wasn’t until I could overcome the victim mentality that I was able to get my life together.
You may have left the battlefield in Iraq, but every day that you wake up and put your boots on the ground, you’re on another battlefield – the battlefield of the mind.
You can repurpose military tactics to overcome trauma.
When anxiety hits, the first thing to do is return fire – speak truth:
There’s no real threat;
There’s no real danger:
I’m totally in a safe environment.
Bring yourself out of that emotional state.
67% of men in America have admitted they’ve struggled with a mental health crisis.
You didn’t fight the war alone, so don’t fight PTSD alone. Communicate with people and tell them you’re struggling.
