“Usually when I’m not feeling myself I do things to take my mind off the anxieties I’m having. This usually includes watching my favourite comedy shows so I can have a laugh and think positively; and listening to my favourite artist talk about their shared experience/history with their own mental health. Some other positive coping mechanisms are: going out, doing some photography, reading comic books and talking to my mother & brother. On the other hand, my negative coping mechanisms are: listening to depressing/sad music which sometimes last hours or even days til I’m told to stop listening to it by my brother when he catches me.

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Men’s mental health is definitely a global issue. For a black man like myself I’d say it’s even more prevalent within the U.S. given the racism the black community faces everyday. Pride also is and continues being a negative impact on our respective mental health. I know within black families there is a stigma around mental health, given the role of father figure and man of the house has to be played due to fathers being absent either since birth or throughout childhood.

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Over the years, I’ve limited my time and use of my own social media platforms. I don’t believe in what it sells and sadly people choose to live a lie and become someone they’re not in order to gain like, popularity” & fame just to name a few. I also hate see the racism of the black community being shared without actual change happening.”

“Social media is a magnification tool in all aspects, so it’s easy to be bombarded and overwhelmed with both information and toxicity. At the end of the day we can choose what we see, the minute I unfollowed all of that and followed what I would like to see more of, I instantly felt like a load had been lifted and had access to new information/motivation. To cut a long story short, it’s good to take a break every once in a while, and break the cycle and switch up.”

“There needs to be a universal attitude change when we think of what masculinity means. The toxicity of “grow a pair” doesn’t just affect other men, it affects everyone. Men are told they have to act in a dominant or tough way, which leads to self-imposed fear and anger. And of course, male aggression has a huge effect on women’s lives too. To go back to what I said earlier about men’s behaviour having a negative effect on everyone, not just other men- I think its really important to acknowledge that the fact that many men don’t address their mental health needs is emblematic of a deeper sexism. Once men get in touch with their feelings, realize they are in a position of privilege and that masculine behaviours across the board need to be worked on, then I have no doubt the things will improve for everyone.

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I’m a trumpet player and sometimes it’s a really helpful tool to get away from everything else and practice and figure out problems with my technique etc. It’s also a fucking nightmare sometimes and can wind me up as much as it calms me down (as Im sure other plays will agree!). Im extremely lucky that I’ve been brought up in a very open and female-centric family who have always made it of paramount importance that we talk about how we are feeling, so I can always go to them when I feel down and it doesn’t make me feel anxious or embarrassed. My friends are great too. I am very lucky that I can just go talk to my family and friends whenever I want to without feeling uncomfortable. But I do have a temper that I have spent the majority of my life trying to work on, and I deinfitely sometimes go to that form of myself when im feeling sad- it’s horrible because it affects everyone around me more than it affects myself.

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We need to do more than educating young men about their mental health- cutting out stereotypes from a young age is more important than I think we realize. Things even as little as changing the way teachers address pupils in school- there can be no more “man up” for the boys and “darling” or “sweetheart” for the girls- its just about informing ourselves of a new way of addressing one another. I’d also like to shout out an organization I volunteer for called Great Men UK (goodladinitiative.com) which is an organization that travels the country going to secondary schools and universities to talk about theses issues. Their mission is to promote positive and equal gender relationships, while also looking to transform the attitudes of young men and boys through conversations about gender issues and men’s mental health. They are amazing and everyone should check them out or get involved.”