How Yuh Feeling?

Editor: As Men’s Mental Health Month comes to an end, I want to leave us with one simple reminder: We matter.

We matter not because of what we provide, how much we earn, or how strong we appear. We matter because we are human. We have emotions. We experience loss, disappointment, fear, and uncertainty just like everyone else.

As men, many of us were taught to be strong, to & “man up”, and to keep going no matter what.

We learned to hide our struggles behind the words, “I’m good,even when we weren’t.

Somewhere along the way, silence became our coping mechanism.

But silence can be heavy.

Over the past few years, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has endured the COVID-19 pandemic, the eruption of La Soufrière, and destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl. We rebuilt our homes, returned to work, and carried on. Yet while we focused on rebuilding our communities, many of us neglected to rebuild ourselves. We found ways to repair buildings, roads, and businesses, but we often ignored the emotional scars left behind.

That is why the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environmental Health and Energy’s “How Yuh Feeling?” campaign is so important. It reminds us that recovery is not only physical it is emotional too. Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is ask someone, “How yuh feeling?”, and genuinely listen to the answer.

As men, we also need to ask ourselves that same question. How are we really coping with stress? Are we carrying grief we have never spoken about?

Have we convinced ourselves that asking for help is a sign of weakness?

Many of us were taught that being a man means carrying every burden alone. We were told that strength is pushing through the pain, keeping our emotions to ourselves, and pretending everything is okay. But real strength is not found in silence. Real strength is having the courage to admit when we are struggling. It is reaching out to a friend, accepting support, or speaking to someone before the weight becomes too much to bear.

As Men’s Mental Health Month closes, let us not allow the conversation to end with it. Let us continue checking on our fathers, our brothers, our sons, our friends and ourselves. Let us create spaces where men can speak honestly without fear of judgment, ridicule, or shame. Because we are more than providers.

Shimano Bailey