#MindYourMelon

Let's talk about it. Yeah, about that. That thing that we often don't talk about. Especially if you're a guy. Let's talk about our mental health.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a colleague of mine, Marshal Sewell, as he shared his experience of losing his father to suicide during one particularly bad year on their family farm. Since then, Marshal has become a passionate advocate for mental health, particularly in Agriculture, and started an advocacy campaign #MindYourMelon (mindyourmelon.org). Marshal's story and the discussion after was both powerful and vulnerable. Two words that often don't get associated with one another, and yet, can easily go hand-in-hand.

Flash forward to yesterday, when my wife and I received word that a friend committed suicide, leaving behind a wife and four children, the oldest of whom just graduated high school. We don't know why, and we don't know the circumstances, but the tragedy and loss is extreme.

I greatly appreciated Marshal's vulnerability in sharing his family's story. He didn't know me, or possibly anyone else on the call, and yet, his willingness to share his story carried with it the power to unlock others. Through being courageous enough to be vulnerable, sharing experiences that are too often hushed over, we actually give others the power to open up as well.

While I, thankfully, have never had to deal with chronic depression, I've definitely had seasons in my life where I felt as if life were trying to drown me, and it was all I could do to surface and catch a breath before being sucked back under. In my low times, I've been eternally grateful for friends, family (who are also my closest friends), and my dear wife (my closest friend), who have helped me to keep going.

The challenge we face is that all too often, we become great actors, never letting others see the challenges we face. I've been there too, feeling like I had to hide some part of myself or my past to avoid judgment. What I have found is what I saw again after Marshal shared his story. When we are willing to open up, to expose our vulnerability instead of 'faking till we... fail?', we find there are others who are willing and able to lift, support and strengthen us.

So let's fight the stigma, the machismo, the 'suck it up, that's life' mentality and talk about it. Let's talk about our mental health.