Let's talk about Men and Mental Health.
It is a well-known fact that men find it hard to talk about their emotions. Difficulties when to speak their minds if something is bothering them. This also comes with the fact that suicides under men is astronomically high. I want to break down what I think is happening within the brain of a male, and also give some advice to men that are still suffering today. Please note that I'm not a psychologist myself, I've been battling mental health myself for about 7 years now and I would like to share my thoughts on it.
To speak or not to speak, that is the question.
I know for a lot of men out there it is really hard to speak about these issues, I've dealt with them myself. I was drowning in my own misery and panic. I felt like I was shattered into a thousand pieces. How did I let it go so far? I was afraid. I was afraid of losing my manhood. I was afraid of people judging me for having mental health issues so I just cropped them up and moved forward, little did I know I was going backwards. I had no social life and isolated myself even further, having these moments of derealization, nothing felt real to me. Why did I ignore all of this? I still ask myself this from time to time. Eventually I came to the realisation that living like this will only destroy me in the end, so I told my parents. Luckily my parents understood my situation and until today they are still very supportive of me. If this is all to hard for you, don't worry, maybe you can turn to a good friend? or a cousin? If you think even this is not an option just comment down below and we'll figure something out together.
How did I overcome negative/suicidal thought patterns.
I was constantly thinking to myself, why should I stay alive when the quality of living is so low? I'll tell you what. Family. I couldn't bear the thought of killing myself and leaving my family behind, I love them. Secondly I managed to get back into photography and capture beautiful pictures of nature and other things around me, it brought me a lot of positivity. So if you have a hobby of some sort that you love to do, make sure you do it at least an hour a day. Then there is one thing left and that is therapy. Out of all these things therapy has helped me the most, and I know it's hard to visit your doctor and talk about this issues, but trust me when I tell you that your doctor will happily refer you to a therapist when you need one. Please do not be afraid to speak your mind, they are professionals and they are there to help you.
Patience.
It can take months or even years to overcome your mental health issues, depending on the individual. Just make sure you keep trying and keep pushing, don't give up. I've met many people who had severe depression/anxiety and they all managed to keep their thoughts in control and live a happier life. I want the same thing to happen to you.
I want to end this blog post with a nice quote I found.
“P.S. You’re not going to die. Here’s the white-hot truth: if you go bankrupt, you’ll still be okay. If you lose the gig, the lover, the house, you’ll still be okay. If you sing off-key, get beat by the competition, have your heart shattered, get fired…it’s not going to kill you. Ask anyone who’s been through it.” -Danielle LaPorte