Change the Damn Narrative!!!

 

Page 237 of 366. Good Morning Lovies, I hope the sun greets you when you rise (where ever you reside). Today I would like to ask everyone a question and I am hoping I will get responses.

Sorry, inquiring minds need to know...

I will not get into the intricate details of why this has come up as a question, but none the less, it is an interesting one.

If you were to come into a fair size amount of money, whether it's an inheritance, hard earned cash, or a court settlement; would you donate some (or all), and which charity would you choose??? 

I ask this because when I was presented with the idea, it was a no-brainer for me...

Most people choose some sort of cancer research, usually one that has personally touched their lives. Others choose diabetes as it effects most people's lives in one way or another. A lot of people choose children's hospitals like Sick Kid's in Toronto, Ontario CANADA or Shriner's Hospitals in the United States. I am sure there are many more hospitals that specialize in children's care but I can only mention the ones I know off-hand.

I find that Addiction Awareness or donations towards Alcoholics' programs are not that common; even less common are people donating to Mental Health associations. I am aware that people has been opening up, ever so slightly, to talking about mental health disorders and suicide awareness... but there is not enough. Having Bell's Let's Talk Day, or having one day dedicated to Suicide Awareness is not enough.

I guess what I am also trying to get at is this...

Mental Health Awareness needs to be placed into the foreground. It is still very much a taboo subject. Yes, we, as a society, have been more open to hearing about children's struggles, or women's struggles; but where are the men on this spectrum??? They're human too!!!

Everyone in my life... I mean EVERYONE, has dealt with depression or is dealing with depression. Every single one of us has also been affected by a loved one who has fallen so deep, felt so lost and unhear... felt invisible in a world of millions of people; they felt their only answer for peace was to pass on from this plane. 

After saying all that, I would have to say that I would donate every single penny towards MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH. When asked the question why? I was straight up. Most of my friends are men. I have watched boys who have been bullied to the point that they couldn't take it anymore; when no one would LISTEN to them, and they were told to simply MAN UP!!! BOYS are being told this... 

I have had in my own family, people who have drank themselves to death; others who overdose because they are just tired of being brushed off; not taken seriously or simply feel they are a burden to the people who love them. I will not go to the extent that others have gone to, as I am sure you get the picture. 

The BIGGEST reason this is my choice of charity is because men's mental health needs the funding. It needs to stop being a taboo subject. Men need to know that expressing themselves, being vulnerable about their mental health, which is part of their well-being, is NOT making them weak in the eyes of people. 

We need to change that narrative. Men are human (What a shocker, eh?) Society needs to do more... There needs to be more support all around for mental health; but society needs to make the world also a safe haven for men when they are crying out for help. When anyone who is depressed, tells you they are "TIRED"... TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY!!!

My last piece of advice is this... Check on your strongest friends. Genuinely ask them if they are okay and let them know, it is perfectly okay, to not be okay. Open the door for them to feel they can lighten the burden they carry; often the strongest people you know are suffering the most. Just because they have and can carry the heavy loads, doesn't mean they should nor have to.

This is my part of raising my voice... campaigning for change. Stay safe. Stay cool. Be well. Be loved. Be blessed.

~Phoenix