If I’ve learned anything through my years as a collegiate athlete, business owner, new(ish) Dad and human who’s just trying to get it right, it’s this: You have to look out for yourself. Because if you don’t, who will?
In 2014, my boss at the time told me I couldn’t attend any more management meetings until I fixed ‘this’. ‘This’ was in reference to my face. For the second time in my life, my face had erupted in horrible acne. My first time was as an early teen; perhaps a bit more socially acceptable then. But not at age 27. And certainly not in a professional setting.
This was a low point. But in a way, I took his advice: I was going to figure it out. For me and for others like me who wanted to greatly appreciate the person that they saw in the mirror. That was the spark for what would become Huron.
The impact of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin was enough to weigh me down. We don’t often talk about these things, but in the early stages of Huron, I was shocked to discover how many of my peers and colleagues felt the same. Not just about acne but other personal care issues: thinning hair, body odor, rough skin, and the list goes on. It was, and is, the invisible elephant in the room. And all of these factors were playing a critical role in their overall mental health.
The Reality of Male Mental Health
Mental health conversations, especially those concerning men, can feel like a no-fly zone. We’ve been conditioned to just “tough it out” or “suck it up”—but at what cost? The numbers don’t lie:
- Men are nearly 4 times more likely to die by suicide than women. This is a global issue, not just something happening in a single country.
- 6 million men are affected by depression in the U.S. alone each year.
- Fewer than 50% of men who struggle with mental health seek professional help. Whether it’s stigma or the old “I don’t need help” mantra, it’s keeping guys silent when they should be speaking up.
This silence, unfortunately, can be deadly. While everyone’s story is different, we’ve all felt pressure at some point in our lives. But it’s important to know: There is somewhere to turn. And you’re not alone.
Perspective Matters
Mental health struggles don’t come in one-size-fits-all packaging. They manifest differently depending on age, background, and personal experiences. In the same way we all have unique fingerprints, our mental health journeys can look vastly different. For men in particular, symptoms might not show up as sadness or tears, but as anger, irritability, or a constant sense of agitation. It’s why those closest to you might not even notice you’re having a hard time.
Sometimes, the best way to care for our mental health is to expand our perspective. There’s a powerful passage from David Foster Wallace’s speech, This is Water, that I’ve carried with me for years. It goes something like this:
Wallace describes a moment in a grocery store where you’re stuck behind a woman who’s moving painfully slowly, and you feel your blood pressure rising with every item she places into her cart. It’s easy to assume she’s just inconsiderate or oblivious. But what if, Wallace suggests, she’s moving slowly because her husband is at home dying of cancer and this shopping trip is the only relief she’ll get all week? Suddenly, that frustration shifts to compassion and empathy.
This anecdote hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I heard it. It was a reminder that everyone’s dealing with struggles we can’t see and might never know about. In the same way someone might not know I was dealing with severe acne and the effect it had on my mental health, I have no idea what someone else’s day—or life—might look like.
Perspective is everything.
Reaching Out, Tuning In
On this Global Mental Health Awareness Day, I want to encourage you to take just one step in looking out for yourself and those around you. Start by checking in with someone. Maybe it’s that college buddy you haven’t heard from in a while or the coworker who seems a bit quieter than usual. Send a text, make a call, drop an email—whatever feels natural.
These small gestures can open up big conversations. It can be as simple as:
“Hey, just thinking of you—how’s everything going?”
Or
“Been a minute since we caught up. How are you holding up?”
It doesn’t need to be profound; it just needs to be something. Because even a small check-in can have a massive impact.
So, this Global Mental Health Awareness Day, let’s keep the conversation going. Let’s check in on ourselves and each other. And if there’s a part of you that’s struggling, reach out. Because being tough doesn’t mean being silent. It means having the strength to speak up when it matters most.
Start prioritizing you and lookout for the man in the mirror.
We're grateful for you,
- matt
