Summary: An absolute necessity to my mental well-being and journey of healing.
As of writing this blog post, I have attended two sessions of Man Down Cornwall. During the first, I sat there for three hours, getting a feel of the atmosphere and the general point of the group. I listened to 6 men talk about their struggles, their emotions, their struggles and how it made them feel. It was entirely confidential, tears were shed, and so many deep, raw stories were told that almost made my problems feel somewhat completely irrelevant.
After around three hours, I found a slight bit of courage to talk about my own problems and experiences with depression and anxiety. Little did I know that this was the exact first step I needed on my road of acceptance and healing. While I was talking, my mouth kept going dry, and I kept wanting to throw up. "Why am I even talking? Nobody cares about my problems." But that's not true at all. Before I even got to finish, at least three people within the group gave me solid words of encouragement, so much so that I didn't have time to feel sorry about myself or 'sink into a hole'.
Although I knew it anyway, it became evidently clear to me that everyone in that room had been through the same experience in one way or another. It really was a safe space to talk. There was nothing shameful about it, contrary to what society has to say about men's mental-health. There were strong, passionate men of all ages in that room and the one thing we all had in common was our mental-health. No-one was a therapist. Just a bunch of guys who are all struggling with the same issues and aiming to tackle it into the ground. It was such a rich, beautiful atmosphere that since then I've been in such a better mindset about life.
I attended the next session last week. I'd been looking forward to it a lot, as it is a bi-weekly event. I only stayed for about an hour this time, and I listened to a couple of guy's stories. This time I listened to every word they had to say intently. They had something to say, and we were there to listen. Again, the stories were raw and full of truth and emotion and you could feel the relief coming out of their breath into the room as a physical manifestation. These things needed to be talked about.
I can't describe the gratitude I have for groups like Man Down. They are essential in today's day and age full of dissociation towards society and silence.
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