Mental Health

It's one of those "male taboo" topics.

I have always considered myself a well-balanced adult.

I am responsible husband and father of two. The breadwinner of my family. I help my folks back home and everyone else in our extended family and beyond even.

I have never done drugs, I have always been healthy. I come from a "regular" middle-class family. I have should no "issues" right?

Last May, I had my first therapy session. I realised I should have had one sooner.

Fast forward to yesterday, my therapist was telling me she didn't think I needed to see her anymore.

I felt weird. It was almost like I heard me say "Am I cured?"

Silly. I know.

The truth is, I now tell myself, how fortunate it is that we are more and more open about maintaining a fit mind. Mental health, or mental fitness, is just as important as physical health and fitness.

How would our parents' generation be had they had access to the tools and methods we have access to these days? How would these support mechanisms helped them?

I agreed with my therapist to stop seeing each other for now. I developed a strong connection with her which I intend to keep. I will schedule a session with her in 2024.

We should be more open about our mental health challenges with one another. We should normalise talking about them and stop pointing fingers or judging. It should stop being taboo.

We should be kinder. We never know how someone's day -or life- is going, and we never know the impact of our words and actions on others.

A simple smile, biting our tongue before answering/responding in the face of harshness, and a belief in the good in others goes a long way.