In 1998, Toby Slough hit rock bottom. When he nearly ended his life, he realized he needed help. Since that day, Slough has been on a mission. First, it was to get well and then to identify tools to stay on the right side of his mental wellness journey. What Slough, founder of Goby International, learned is that isolation leads to more challenging mental health problems. #NotAlone is a call to action to speak up and engage in conversation with others.
This holiday season, Goby International and Slough will host a one-hour live event on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to connect with people who may feel alone or overwhelmed and to give them tools and resources to help in their mental wellness battle.
“Not Alone is the result of my struggles for the past 24 years,” said Slough, the founder of Goby International, an organization with a mission to reframe conversations regarding mental wellness. “I isolated myself from the people who cared about me most which took me down a dark road. We are meant for community, not to be alone in our thoughts and fears. Not Alone is meant to connect people to each other on these particular two days of the year that can be extremely isolating.”
Anyone who is looking for encouragement and to get connected to others who are pursuing a healthy life can join Not Alone on Sunday, December 25 and Sunday, January 1 at 11:00 am CST. The live events will be hosted on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
During the Not Alone broadcast, Slough will talk about the energy it takes to fight for mental wellness; how isolation fuels the imagination and battling through negative thoughts. Slough will address the days ahead and provide tools to help overcome anxiety as well as invite guests to share their story.
Goby has created a texting platform that allows people to connect directly to a live person to get encouragement throughout the holidays as well as the entire year. To connect with a team member at Goby, text #NotAlone to 940.329.5049.
A 2021 survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found 3 in 5 Americans feel their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America.
Goby International was established to globally provide comfort, hope, and community by empowering those who are battling for their mental wellness. Goby is a community of real people helping one another swim upstream, much like the goby fish swims up mountainous Hawaiian streams. It shows we can all do hard things because God is with us.
