OPINION: I Can Imagine

As we conclude what has become known as National Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, it is worth reflecting on a recent sports story that was revisited last week.

Earlier in September, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott opened up about his struggles with his mental health during quarantine and in the immediate aftermath of his brother’s passing from suicide.

“All throughout this quarantine and this offseason, I started experiencing emotions I’ve never felt before,” Prescott told In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “Anxiety for the main one. And then, honestly, a couple of days before my brother passed, I would say I started experiencing depression.”

While a few naysayers had the audacity to suggest admitting mental health struggles was a sign of weakness, many — including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — rightly pointed out it was in fact a sign of strength.

“I saw what Dak said. I applaud him. I think it’s phenomenal, speaking out, because that’s true courage and that’s true strength,” Rodgers said. “It’s not a weakness at all.”

In my own past struggles with my mental health, the most frustrating remark I would sometimes receive when describing what I was dealing with was “I can’t imagine.” Despite its well-meaning intentions, that phrase would make me feel more isolated in my pain, as if I was on an island of despair that no one could reach to rescue me from. What made the emotional hole so much deeper for me for a while was the perception that I was the only one who understood what I was going through.

By sharing his own struggles, Prescott let those out there in similar circumstances who have lost someone know that they are not alone. That fact is a powerful one, that no matter what it is you have experienced, chances are someone else has too. Realizing that helped me overcome my past struggles, and grow to the point of sharing how God worked in my life to bring the one person who could understand what I had been through to my door. My full story remains the pinned tweet on my Twitter profile because I believe so strongly in the power of sharing struggles and triumphs to reduce mental health stigmas.

Men in particular are taught from a young age in our society not to show emotion, to compartmentalize pain and lock it away. You do not cry if you are hurt, you do not share your emotional struggles or you are crazy or weak. These archaic ways of thinking have relegated men to carrying burdens they were never meant to carry. As Rodgers said of Prescott, it takes rare courage and strength to make oneself vulnerable and admit what they cannot handle alone.

As we brace for likely additional isolation and divisive winter months ahead, it is paramount that we are checking in on each other. Do not ignore that nudge that you get to reach out to a friend or relative out of the blue. If you are struggling, do not be afraid to share with a trusted friend or relative, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

There is someone out there who understands what you are going through and you are not alone.