Why I’m encouraging men to take five for their mental health

I’ll be honest with you - I suffer with my mental health. Why do I talk so openly about it? Because I want to help you see that you are NOT alone with yours.

Here’s my story.

My name is Louis, I’m 23 years old and I’m from Newport, South Wales. In 2020 I began suffering with my mental health and it was the first time (that I know of) that I was experiencing anxiety. I felt burnt out, lost and honestly - I just didn’t know what to do. I bottled up everything that I felt - I wasn’t talking about how I was feeling and as a result, it just got worse.

I remember one time I was away in Frankfurt and I was experiencing a strange sensation going through my arm, followed by a tight chest pain. It was a really frightening experience for me because I had no idea what was going on. I went to the hospital and they had told me that everything was fine, however I could not stop thinking about how I felt in that moment.

"Why did it feel so hard to reach out to some of my closest friends?"

I soon realised that this was in fact anxiety taking over my body. When I realised this, I was feeling both relieved and worried. I was relieved because I knew that I was healthy physically, but worried because I wasn’t sure if/when it would happen again.

During the lockdown period, I remember being sat on my bed feeling completely lost. I decided to take a walk one afternoon and when I returned, I felt a lot better in myself. However, I could see that I was struggling. I knew that I needed to talk to someone because a problem shared is a problem halved.

When I look back at this moment, one question comes straight to mind: why did it feel so hard to reach out to some of my closest friends?

I’ve always been aware of the stigma that surrounds men’s mental health and I just cannot believe that there are so many men around the world that have been told to ‘man up’. I believe that this is one of the reasons as to why I found it so difficult to open up about my experience with mental health.

I was worried about what my family and friends’ reaction would be, however they were really supportive and helped me through a challenging time – I’m so grateful for their support because it made me realise that I wasn’t alone with how I felt.

Helping men to check in on their wellbeing

I wanted to break the stigma that surrounds this ever-growing problem and in 2021, I started working on Clear For Men.

Clear For Men is a mental health awareness skincare brand that aims to encourage men to ‘Take Five’ for their wellbeing. Self-care is really important to me because it makes me prioritise myself and it’s also a great way to switch off. I wanted to provide men with a reason to pause, check in on themselves and to practice self-care and it’s why I decided to name my first product ‘Take Five’, so that I’m that reminder for men to ‘Take Five’.

Every Tuesday, I post a “Take Five Tuesday Reminder”, which is a video of me washing my face and telling my audience a positive reminder. I end the video by saying “I’m proud of you, I hope you have a great week and don’t forget to Take Five for YOU”.

"Anyone who contacts me about their mental health, I always tell them that I am proud of them"

I often receive messages from people online who tell me that my content has had a positive impact on them and their day.

A few months ago, I posted a positive video on Instagram and I received a Direct Message from one of my followers saying: “I’m not one to message people often but thank you very much for your posts… it’s helping me to step back for five, look things over and relax – I appreciate it”.

When I go live on TikTok, I often receive messages thanking me for the livestream and many tell me that it has made their day. When I see these messages come through, I can’t help but feel an immense sense of pride because I can see the positive effect that both myself and Clear For Men are having on so many people around the world. Anyone who contacts me about their mental health, I always tell them that I am proud of them for reaching out because I know how hard it can be.

I knew when I started Clear For Men that I wanted to give back to Mind, so a percentage of every sale goes toward the charity.

I can see the hard work and dedication that goes into helping people with their mental health and I truly admire everything that Mind stands for. When I was first struggling with my mental health, I remember my brother had signed up to complete ‘100 miles in March’ for Mind. I remember looking at all of the events and campaigns that Mind carry out throughout the year and I felt honoured to be supporting a charity that does so much for those who are struggling. I find the content that Mind posts on social media and via their website really impactful and it has significantly helped me on my mental health journey.

I’m also really proud to say that I am running the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday 6^th October to raise money for Mind. Let’s get going!

Related Topics

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Wales
• Wales

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