Societal expectations and traditional gender roles play a role in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health problems. We know that gender stereotypes about women – the idea they should behave or look a certain way, for example – can be damaging to them. But it’s important to understand that men can be damaged by stereotypes and expectations too. Men are often expected to be the breadwinners and to be strong, dominant and in control. While these aren’t inherently bad things, they can make it harder for men to reach out for help and open up. In 2017, nearly 6000 suicides were recorded in Great Britain. Of these, 75% were men. Suicide is the largest cause of death for men under 50. 

Standing at 19 years old, I have always suffered with my mental health as I know the mind plays a lot of games. It has always been the hardest thing to deal with, during my teen years. Even now it has become more difficult than ever in having to deal with.

During my time in secondary school, I felt was always the hardest as majority of the time, I fell into the depression stage, where I was bullied for quite a while, which impacted me a lot. It came to a point, where at times I did not want to go to school or to just distance myself from everyone. But slowly as time went on, people got to me and not based on what their friends had said about me, I became friends with some of my bullies, whom now are my closet friends.

Since leaving school and entering the bigger world, my anxiety levels, depression levels and stress levels had risen to the point, where I did not know what to do anymore. It came to a point, where I stressed myself out over the most smallest of things. But just by trying to talk about it has always been the hardest and difficult part as I thought it would always make me seem weak. It slowly did come to a point, where I did not want to be here no more as I felt their was no more purpose for me. But just by talking about it made me realise there is always a purpose.

If you know me, you know that my hair was always valuable to me and had never in a million years wanted to shave it off. Recently times had become tough and the only way for me to be able to overcome it was to erase something. That is the reason as to why I chose to shave my hair to try and show that it is okay not to feel good all the time and that it is okay to cry.

That is why I chose to raise money for 'Mind'.