Matt's triple challenge for CALM

Men were 75% of all suicide victims in 2016. That percentage has been stable for years. Suicide and mental health in men are misunderstood and socially shamed, meaning that there is little conversation about it.

I’ve suffered from generalised anxiety for over a decade and it results in my brain trying to convince me to worry about everything anywhere constantly. At times it has led to severe depression due to concerns over sexuality, identity and my future and twice resulted in me in considering suicide. I was fourteen and seventeen and both times I was able to pull myself back from the brink and fight for my life. Others are not so fortunate.

I am now in a healthy place and I want to help others reach a similar place. I want others to cope with life and to fight for their future. The Campaign against Living Miserably (CALM) aims to prevent male suicide and break down the social stigma surrounding it and mental health issues in men. They want men to feel safe and comfortable getting help when their mental health takes a turn for the worst.

This is why I am fundraising for CALM through three events.

1. The first will be shaving my head down to a grade two. The aim is to bring attention to the place where the battle against suicide takes place for most men: Inside our heads.
2. The second will be a day of silence to represent the needless silence men suffer in day in and day out. I will struggle with
   this day as anyone who knows me can attest to.
3. Finally, I will hold a two-hour fencing session where I will fight almost consistently to represent the constant battle men go
   through against mental health, anxiety, depression and the temptation of suicide.

If you’d like to support me and CALM, then please donate to this worthy cause and help save men from the demons that haunt them.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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