Why Men’s Mental Health?

Why Men’s Mental Health Matters to Me

I’ve been thinking a lot about how most men I know are really good at keeping it together. Or at least, they’re good at looking like they are. We’ve learned how to push through, stay quiet, and deal with things alone. Somewhere along the line, asking for help became something we avoid. Not because we don’t need it, but because we’ve been taught that needing help somehow means we’re not strong. That’s why men’s mental health is important to me. Not because it’s some big trending issue, but because I’ve lived through the silence. I’ve felt it. I’ve seen it in friends. Some kept going. Some couldn’t.

One of those men was a fellow Marine I served with in Afghanistan. He was my vehicle’s gunner when we were there. Always cracking jokes, always acting a little stupid to make people laugh. One day, while we were riding a bus into the overheated California desert for our pre-deployment training, he looked around and said, “Why is it so windy when there aren’t any trees?” We asked what he meant, and he said with what seemed like complete seriousness that he thought trees made the wind blow. We couldn’t stop laughing. I think about that moment with him often. That was just him though. Lighthearted, goofy, and the kind of guy who could lift the mood no matter what was going on around us.

But after we came home and went our separate ways, he struggled. He ended up overdosing not long after getting out of the military. I don’t know everything he was dealing with, and I won’t pretend to. But I do know how easy it is to hide pain behind a smile or a joke. I have seen it too many times. His loss is one of the many reasons men’s mental health matters to me because behind the laughter, there is often a lot going unsaid. And it should not have to stay that way.

To learn more about what Mankind Mental Health can do for you, Call/Text me at 512-668-6093 or schedule a free consult.