Let's Talk

So the annual day of awareness has once again come and gone and we did our post thing and shared the hashtag and...... what do we do next? We've come a long way in talking about it as an important issue, and raising awareness of how many it impacts. But there's still work to be done. The important work.

As someone who has been in a dark place in the past, here are three things you can do next to make a huge difference:

1) Normalize talking about your emotion and struggles (especially us dudes). Many view vulnerability as a weakness. But it's actually a super power. Talking openly about your challenges and struggles shows a level of confidence and self-awareness that many don't have. Most importantly it shows others that they aren't alone in feeling the way they do.

2) Rather than relaying on our "open door", actively reach out to friends, especially if you sense something. When I've been in a bad place, it's been hard as F*** to reach out and admit the demons are winning. I know I should but I can't or just don't wanna. It's been times when people have reached out the proverbial hand to me to lift me up that's made all the difference. "Hey man, you've been pretty quiet on social lately, whats been on your mind lately?" To adapt the work place safety phrase: "If you sense something, say something."

3) Ask better questions. Its easy for someone to blow off "how are things going?" With "fine". But by combing the above steps, we can show our vulnerability and start a conversation: "This new business has really been a struggle lately, whats going on in your world?"

If you want more practical approaches on how to reach out as a person (on either side of the equation), headsupguys.org has lots of great resources.

Did I miss anything? What actions are you going to take this week to make a difference to your own or someone else's mental health?