Mental Health- My late father, my hero.

Mental Health Awareness week has brought back a lot of pain & anxiety in itself but I knew I had to channel that into something positive and make my Dad proud. 
As most of you know, I lost my Dad last September. He took his own life & to be completely honest I've felt broken & lost ever since. So many questions unanswered, how could I have helped prevent it? Did I do enough? The fact of the matter is my Dad was suffering mentally & saw no other way out.

There is a huge stigma particularly amongst men about mental health issues. Are we supposed to just "man up" and "get on with it" ?? Do we have to be strong to coincide with society's expectations of us? The answer is no. It's okay not to be okay, it's normal to have bad days and it's perfectly alright to let out your emotions and have a cry. God knows how many times I've taken myself away at work, amongst friends and family at gatherings and just broken down by myself. Do you know what? I felt better from it. 
Now this is the positive part! (I promise) 😄 I've had such amazing support from my friends & family. I seriously don't know what I'd have done without their care & love. They'll always be special to me for that. Having people to talk to & trust with your feelings when you are in such a dark place has made such a difference & I wished my Dad opened up & recognised this too. There are always people to talk to & people who care! 
To help make more people aware of mental health & it's link to depression and suicide I am raising money for charity by selling t shirts with my Dad's famous moustache on :) Me & my bros used to h8 him giving us kisses because his tache used to hurt! My wish is for his passing to educate others & encourage people to speak out about their problems & issues. I feel his generation especially the males have real difficulty with this. 
I will be putting an order form at the club house where he enjoyed spending time with his friends drinking lots. T shirt proceeds will go to a mental health charity MIND. Alternatively get in touch with me and I can add you to the order list.

In life lasting memory of my Dad, my friend and my hero. I love you and I miss you so much xxxx