How Emile Ennis Jr. works out both body and mind to combat depression
Emile Ennis Jr. and AJ Gibson had planned the perfect wedding in Playa Mujeres, Mexico, with a rooftop ceremony, lush gardens for the cocktail hour, and a beachside reception.But on June 22, 2022, Mother Nature had other plans, forcing the couple and their guests inside, causing Ennis to draw upon his years of self-care to keep the unexpected storm in perspective.
A decade earlier, Ennis had found true love in AJ, who he had met when they were hired to co-host a show on AfterBuzz TV. After coming out publicly, Ennis began to rebuild the relationship with his religious parents (his father was a United Methodist pastor for 47 years) and acknowledge the mental health challenge that had haunted him nearly his entire life: depression.
A tropical storm — even on his wedding day — wasn’t going to bring him down.A post shared by Emile Ennis Jr. | Host & Producer (@emileennisjr)In suffering from depression, Ennis isn’t alone.
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, LGBTQ+ adults are three times as likely to have mental health conditions compared to heterosexual adults.And despite the fact that most people with depression can fully recover with treatment, only about one-third of those with severe depression seek assistance from a healthcare professional.“Like with any identity, feeling different—or worse, unaccepted as you are—is a significant risk factor for mental health struggles,” says Anna Docherty, Ph.D., LP, assistant professor of psychiatry at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. “Most of us experience some significant anxiety or depression in our lifetimes, and we often manage this with social support.
