“Music is my largest peacemaker. I play piano, have done for 12 years. Writing and making songs for my own ears only is really easing. Sometimes you don’t need other people to hear your pain, as long as you’ve put it through a process where you feel more yourself than you did to start with. Other coping mechanisms towards toxic masculinity vary, I can react with humour, or I make my point even clearer. If someone doesn’t agree with my point, and I’m passionate about it. I will express it further, which can be positive and negative.”

“I do believe that the stiff upper lip attitude is becoming outdated. My dad was that kind of guy for many years of my life. I never felt I was ever able to speak to him like I could speak to my mum about my worries and I believe that attitude also stopped me from even speaking to her in some instances too. Due to him suffering through some life issues and obstacles, he ended up joining a mental health group; now he is always the first one I speak to about my anxieties or something that’s troubling me.

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At the time of writing this the Black Lives Matter movement is sweeping across the entire globe and it is absolutely amazing to see. When social media is used in positive ways it is absolutely a force to be reckoned with, it can be used to push things in a positive direction and educate people without them even realizing it”.

“For a long time without realising what I was doing, drinking was my escape from dealing with my issues for many years. Even when it became obvious to me a few years ago that drinking was the way I dealt with anxiety and depression I wasn’t able to change my habit because I was so dependant on it. I have been sober for 3 months now. It hasn’t been an easy change, but I am already seeing massive benefits and learning to deal with my anxiety and depression in different ways. Honestly, running every morning has been such a monumental help for me. It’s a brief moment of peace, a detachment from my thoughts. A year ago, I hit a point where I knew that I needed help. I went to the local GP in seek of getting some therapy. Instead, within five minutes, I was offered medication. The doctor prescribed me 20mg citalopram to take once a day. The first four or five days were horrible. While my body adjusted, I was experiencing sweating, headaches, nausea and increased anxiety. The doctor gave me no indication or advice on this. I was just told I may feel a bit different for the first few days. I am still taking the medication now; I do feel as though it has helped calm my anxiety quite a bit. But now I am left with the predicament of deciding when I feel I should stop taking the meds, which is a tough call, as I don’t want to go back to the way I felt, but I also don’t want t be stuck on meds for years.

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I was put on a six month waiting list for therapy, and then I was offered 6 sessions, which is ridiculous. The NHS system for mental health needs to change. Half my mates are on medication because they weren’t offered any alternative. What I can recommend from personal experience is that we really need to make changes in our lives off our own accord. I started taking medication, and carried on drinking heavily taking drugs, sleeping late, bad diet and not exercising- it was a whirlwind of instability. There are things we can do to create more of a balance in our minds. It is a long difficult process, but we don’t have many other options.”