“Mental health struggles don’t discriminate." Dan Horsman

“Mental health struggles don’t discriminate. It affects everyone. There is no direct solution to help fix the issues, everyone is different and everyone has different experiences. I am a strong believer that the first step to resolving the issues is talking. After that, then building a resilience and coping mechanisms to help you grow.

Talking is absolutely vital. I am speaking from personal experience. I struggled with anxiety and constantly worried what others were thinking of me, destroying my confidence and eventually this led into a depression. I was very self-critical and it began to damage relationships with those closest to me. I’m one of the co-founders of The Headstrong Project which is a support network for people struggling with mental health issues and to be honest, I find it’s as much help for me as it has been for those we’ve supported. I still struggle as more and more challenges in life are thrown at me and I slip back into old habits.

One thing I’ve found is that we can learn from each other’s experiences. We can relate to others that may have been through similar troubles. We can support and encourage. We can become a community that thrives on ideas and different ways to lift each other up. You are absolutely not on your own and there will always be someone that is willing to listen. You can change your life with one conversation and taking one step at a time.” @danhorsman_