Helping men stay in the game
Men must commit to winning the battle against suicide and living to fight another day
Men account for 80% of suicides worldwide. Suicide rates are dropping in most countries, but steadily increasing in the US. Every day in America, over 100 men lose the battle against the thoughts and feelings that lead to suicide. Suicide rates are increasing in the US, as are all sorts of mental illness, yet 40% of men have never spoken to ANYONE about their mental health. Mental health and mental illness are complex, but winning starts with staying in the game. It starts with winning the daily battle against suicide. That battle takes a team. It takes men coming together and not continuing to struggle in silence and isolation.
Men need each other in order to be our best
Winning in life and in our mental health is a team sport
If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help - Bruce Lee
How can the devil take a brother, if he's close to me? - Tupac Shakur
Failure we can do alone. Success always takes help - Simon Sinek
As men, we take pride in being self-sufficient. We struggle to ask for help. When we experience deep depression or feelings of guilt, shame, and regret, we tend to isolate. We create problems alone, and we make them worse by trying to fix them alone. The reality is that NO MAN is self made. We need each other to survive, to thrive, and to reach our highest potential. Most adult men lack close friends, and that lack of a support system makes us susceptible to a mental health downward spiral and even suicide. This initiative was created to help men build the strong bonds that are needed to withstand the inevitable storms of life. True success in life is always a team sport, and success in mental health is no different.
Who is depending on you?
Men taking responsibility for our mental health to be the best version of ourselves for others
Who is depending on you? Find someone to fight for. As men,, we will fight harder for others than we will for ourselves. We want to live with purpose, live with honor. We want to defend and protect. Men are struggling to find true purpose and meaning in modern society. When pride causes us to fail to take responsibility for our mental health, others suffer as result. Suicidal thoughts and ideations can be overwhelming, but suicide doesn't end our pain, it only transfers it to someone else. Suicidal thoughts and ideations pass if we can withstand them.. We must dig deep and do what it takes to survive ONE MORE day, and help other men around us do the same. Ask yourself the question "who is depending on me?"
Join us every Friday on Zoom (starting 4/25)
Join us every Friday at 3PM Eastern/12PM Pacific. These calls are open to all men. It's an opportunity to discuss topics related to mens mental health, support each other, and win the war against suicide. Your participation could save a life.. Everything we do is free and always will be. I bring on athletes and military veterans to share their stories about overcoming mental health challenges and encourage us all to keep fighting. We partner with mental health professionals to offer crisis counseling, substance abuse help, and mental health service provider referrals. Weekends can be tough. Often we are idle. The temptation to abuse drugs and alcohol increases. Spending more time with family may trigger negative feelings. Let's equip ourselves to go into the weekend strong so that it can be a source of recharging and we can be a source of strength and encouragement for others.
Take the pledge to fight suicide
As men, we must accept responsibility for our own mental health, for the mental health of other men, and for our obligations to others who depend on us.
Take the quit option off the table
We lose over 100 men every day to suicide in America. It's not because they are weak or selfish, it's because the urge to end life can be so overwhelming that we must decide IN ADVANCE what to do when the darkness hits. Suicide doesn't end our pain, it just transfers it to others. We must decide to take the quit option off the table.
Be a lifeline for other men
Suicide prevention requires a plan, especially for those of us who are extremely biologically pre-disposed to suicidal thoughts and ideations. We need trusted and caring people in place and ready for us when we are in mental health crisis. We can't wait until we are on the edge to look for help. We can all be that lifeline for other men. It's as simple as being available, be willing to listen with judgment, checking in with our brothers.
Find someone to fight for
Sometimes caring about ourselves isn't enough to keep us going. We need to focus on those who are depending on us, those who need us, those we fight for. We have to stay in the fight because others need us. Other men need us too. Defeating suicide is a team effort.
