BRENDAN PHALEN USED MMA AS HIS REBIRTH

Self-confidence and proper mental health are constant battles we all face. 

Sometimes, though, it seems like the uphill battle will never end. 

For Brendan Phalen, that was certainly the case for as long as he could remember. 

“I’ve been struggling with my mental health for years, however, I’ve always kept it hidden,” he said. “In front of my friends I’d try my best to be very happy and cheery, but then when I was alone or with people my mood would just drop off, and I would switch between those hourly.”

Brendan said he always felt pressured to do things for other people, and never did what he truly wanted. 

But he recently opened up about his issues and is working through them. 

And he’s approaching them with a stronger mentality from a fitness standpoint.

“They haven’t been overcome just yet but I’m confident now I’ll get over it,” Brendan said. “I’ve always been athletic, being a high school senior, I played 3 years of football, and two years of rugby, and a variety of other sports. However, I never put much effort into my body, so I was pudgy. But in April of 2020, I decided to make a change. I dropped 50 pounds and then gained 20 in muscle mass. That helped with my confidence.”

Brendan also took up mixed martial arts. Almost immediately, he felt like he belonged. 

“That’s what’s so appealing about MMA,” he said. “I see those people as the strongest people in the world, technically, physically, and mentally. The struggle they put themselves through to go into a cage, with risk of injury, losses, or even death, for any reason, is something only strong people can do. So right now, I’m ready to put every single essence of my being into achieving my goal of becoming a successful MMA fighter. 

“I don’t care what it takes.”

That’s the key: finding something healthy that takes the worry away and increases your inner worth. Every single day might be a struggle, but take it one step at a time and you’ll get there. 

“That’s all you can do, step by step,” he said. “I try to make myself as happy as possible because that is sometimes all you can do when the negativity sets in. It’s like climbing Mount Everest… cold, painful, steep, and impossible in one day, but when you get to the top it’ll be a feeling like no other.”

Brendan credits APEMAN for helping his overall mentality. He says he wants to “shave off” his weaker self and become the best he can be. 

That’s the “REBIRTH” he is seeking. 

“APEMAN has been a very big help in me realizing all this, how I felt about myself, how I know to achieve my goals,” he added. “I can owe that to APEMAN because I just really think finding my strong is how to get past my struggles. I found out about APEMAN through Ryan Bader, one of my MMA inspirations.”

The Phoenix always rises from the ashes…

Congrats, Brendan, for your passageway into your new self.