Author: Harrison Crooks
Around three years ago, I started feeling sad.
Did I know why I was sad? No. Did I talk to anyone about it? No.
I simply felt alone. I spent many nights and days where I would have random periods where I would just cry to feel better and then cry later, and the cycle would repeat. Combined with events in my life that did not make it any better, I fell into a downwards spiral of experiencing anxiety and depression on a daily basis.
More recently since moving back home from university, I was faced with negative and overthinking thoughts, that had been destroying my personality making everyday a challenge.
As a young black male we often find it challenging to speak about our emotional issues as we fear that we might be criticized, shamed or ridiculed for expressing how we feel making us feel less masculine.
It is not until recently someone I met has helped me, comforted me and is teaching me that these challenges I am dealing with are very common, and that my mental health problems do not define who I am as a human being, and for that I am forever grateful.
Getting up from bed in the morning can be hard. Reaching out to someone can be hard. I know sometimes it feels like you can’t escape from these problems but the important thing to remember is that, YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS FIGHT.
