Are You A Man Struggling With Mental Health?

The Month of ‘Movember’ is Coming To A Close.

Please clap, follow, and comment if you support men’s mental health.

Roughly every minute of every day, one man commits suicide. Men account for 69% of all suicides worldwide. That’s an issue.

Source: Movember.com

Of those 720 men a day, according to the Til Valhalla Project, 22 are veterans.

Something needs to be done.

This year’s edition of the month of ‘Movember’ is coming to a close, yet men’s mental health will still be a major issue come December 1st. My mustache is still going strong, yet it’s only a symbol for support and not a valid solution to our overwhelming mental health crisis.

I know what it’s like.

I know what it’s like to not want to talk about it. To hide your issues. To bundle them all up from the world because you would be considered “weak” if someone else found out.

I did this for years.

It eventually came to a head when I suffered an upper cervical neck injury in which my central nervous system wasn’t functioning correctly, sending me into constant panic attacks. (Read my story below)

I felt like I was dying. And it’s one thing to “face” death, it’s another thing entirely to “feel” it. That, my friends, is terrifying.

For almost five months, I would lay in bed most of the day as it was the only way to stay calm. I would drink calming teas, take CBD supplements, have some wine or whiskey, and any other chemicals to keep me from having a meltdown.

I cried and I cried, but I pushed through. I was miserable. Yet my “never give up” mentality remained. Sports, especially football, taught me to be resilient and never throw in the towel.

It carried over into the real world. It taught me to be a warrior.

However, I’d lost the way for a period of time where I was giving into my own pity. Sure, I wasn’t going to give up, but I also wasn’t proactive either. My mental strength was waning.

But then a man and a book came along. The man’s story was one of constant struggle both internally and externally. He struggled with obesity and an abusive father. He struggled with racism and people telling him he wouldn’t amount for sh*t. He sprayed for cockroaches and then became a Navy Seal.

Yes. I’m speaking of David Goggins, author of the memoirs Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished.

He once had the ultimate “woe is me” mentality while slurping down jumbo chocolate milkshakes and Twinkies, but eventually he had to make a change or fall victim to the fate of sorrow.

He became a warrior. So should you.

A “Mental Health Warrior”.

If you or someone you know is dealing with depression, anxiety, panic disorders, OCD, PTSD, or any other debilitating mental issue, please stay strong. Weather the storm. Change the mentality. Never give up.

Thank you for reading.

“The Devil whispered in my ear ‘You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.’ Today I whispered in the Devil’s ear, ‘I am the storm’.” — Unknown