JASON FOX: WE ALL HAVE EMOTIONS – IT’S CALLED BEING HUMAN
TV’s Jason Fox talks about life after the military, men’s mental health, and why it really is OK to admit you’re having a tough time.
A former Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Sergeant, Jason Fox is well qualified for his role on hit Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins, putting ordinary people though punishing physical and psychological tests.
Having joined the army at
16, he worked in hostage rescue, surveillance and counter terrorism among other things, before leaving the military with PTSD two decades later. He’s written several books since, the latest of which – Life Under Fire – looks at building inner strength and resilience.
Here, Fox, 44, talks to us about life after the military, and why mental health might be his most important cause…
Do you have an addiction to danger?
“I enjoy challenging myself, and did from an early age. It gives me a sense of achievement, so I like being in uncomfortable situations. But I don’t go out of my way to find new and wonderful ways to kill myself; if something looked like it was going to be certain death, I wouldn’t do it.”
You’ve talked about beating your demons and having suicidal thoughts…
“Demons are like your emotions. Human beings are driven by emotions, and we can sometimes allow them to control us, or be embarrassed by them. That makes us not talk about them, and when I went through my sticky patch and was contemplating suicide, I wasn’t being honest with myself about what my emotions were. I was trying to ignore them, which was just compounding the issue. They’re my emotions, and it’s up to me what I do with them.”
How would you describe yourself now versus then?
“My description might be different to what others might say, but I’d say I’m a very positive person who enjoys life.”
Did you on some level enjoy the chaos of war?
“It’s difficult to understand why soldiers miss it. It’s not that I miss the violence, I think what comes with the chaos is a very strong bond between you and the people you experience it with. That feeling of brotherhood with people you can trust with your life. It’s unfortunate you have to experience it in such dark places, but it is an addiction. It’s the sense of belonging that people miss.”
Do you think you’ve managed to find that again with your work?
“Yeah, I think so. My purpose now is to enjoy life, but also to help people in whatever capacity I can. Whether that’s through talking about mental health, or through my organisation (Fox co-founded Rock2Recovery which supports people in the forces, veterans and their families dealing with stress).