Mental Health — two words that used to be trends for conversation, but now, thankfully, are a foundation on which we build hopeful methods and approaches for healing.
June is not only the month for Father’s Day, it is also Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. It is not to say men are excluded from other conversations about mental health. That is to say, there is a reason for the intention to be about men this month.
Think about it — how many times have you heard men speak about how they are doing mentally? How often have you seen men cry or open up emotionally? Even more, how many times have you, regardless of gender, given men the opportunity to say how they are doing or given them grace to open up or have been the safe space needed for them to do so?
A month or so ago, a social media trend, “we listen and we don’t judge,” gave people space and grace to say what they needed about an array of topics. Do we truly offer that to men, consistently, or is it only for a moment?
Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity for men to take advantage of mental health resources to check in, so that they do not check out! No matter what society says or thinks about it or you, Black men, we want and need you to be holistically healthy. It is not just about what you can give with and from your hand, it is about the well-being of your heart.
There is nothing wrong with naming your concern, worry or fear about something. There is nothing wrong with naming that you do not have the answer or you do not know what the next move is going to be. You are human. You do not have to wear the cape. Name how you feel, what you are thinking and going through, so that you do not end up like:
- Moses, whose temper kept him from the Promised Land (Numbers 20:6-13).
- Saul, whose need for validation cost his position (See 1 Samuel 15:15-35).
- David and his son Solomon, whose issues with lust overtook them
(See David’s story 1 Samuel 11:2-27 and Solomon’s story in 1 Kings 11:1-13).
Whatever those thoughts, feelings, emotions, wonders and worries may be, you have a perpetual invitation from the Lord to talk about it.
Hebrews 4:16 says it best: “You can come boldly to the throne of your gracious God. There you will receive mercy, and you will find grace to help you when you need it most.”
The beauty of the verse is that there are no exceptions or restrictions. If you are angry, come! If you are sad, come! If you are frustrated, come! It is an open invitation because your mental health is not only important to us, it is most important to God, the One who fearfully and wonderfully made you to be whole!
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources, these two websites — mhai.net and mentalhealthroundtable.org/resources — provide information on what is available in Indianapolis.
Rae Karim can be reached at rae.karim@gmail.com.
