Navigating Mental Health: One Man’s Ongoing Journey to Recovery

Want some honesty? I am grappling with undiagnosed ADHD, and facing persistent challenges with depression and anxiety, How are you doing?.

Burnout hit me hard, bringing with it a series of poor decisions that left me wallowing in guilt and shame, exacerbated by the societal pressure of being a person in their 40s who is expected to "have it all figured out by now." I had everything. Looked successful, Great jobs, a lovely home, all of the things you would want - but a taxing divorce, impending bankruptcy, and a loss of all I held dear left both my finances and mental health in shambles. I needed help.

And it all happened, as the world collectively navigated the turbulent waves of a global pandemic.

Whilst the rest of the world joined me in my continued downward spiral I desperately attempted to take the reins back on my life to work through the clutter in my mind, and the fallout from a disrupted life - a journey many others have also found themselves embarking on in these times of unprecedented stress.

To give this article sharing some context, Through my work I've been researching the correlations between motorcycles and mental health (and there are a lot), feel that in the interests of normalizing the discussion of mental health, especially between professionals, I should share some of my story.

Recent data paints a grim picture of the mental health landscape here in North America. Substance use and suicidal ideation has seen a dramatic increase, especially among vulnerable groups including adolescents, communities of colour, and the LGBT+ community.

In 2021, a staggering 30% of adolescent females seriously considered attempting suicide, and men are 4x more - figures that no matter your gender, are frightening.

Just as the statistics reveal a troubling surge in mental health crises, they also hint at a potential silver lining: innovations in mental healthcare delivery, spurred on by necessity. Telehealth (or Health Connect in Ontario), for instance, has become a lifeline for many, bridging the gap between patients and providers in a time of social distancing and resource shortages. In 2021, nearly 40% of all outpatient mental health visits were conducted via telehealth, illustrating a significant shift in how we approach mental healthcare.

For many like myself who face the abyss of mental health despair, it's imperative to forge a path of recovery, tailored to individual needs and circumstances. For me, this involved investing time in self-help reading, a practice that I had never properly embraced. Through regular meditation and therapy sessions, I found solace and a framework to rebuild my life, and the status of my mental health.

Yet, even as I embarked on a journey of recovery, I couldn't ignore the sobering realities presented by the stories and statistics emerging. Increased rates of drug overdose deaths, with adolescent overdose deaths more than doubling from 2019 to 2021, and continuing to grow, paints a harrowing picture of the young lives caught in the tragic state of societies mental health.

It is amidst this challenging backdrop that I discovered unique avenues to nurture my mental well-being— from motorcycling, which I found has therapeutic parallels to meditating, immersing myself in nature through walks, hikes, and camping trips and significantly reducing drinking and instead finding alternate therapies. These activities not only facilitated my own recovery but stood as testament to the myriad ways one can find healing, even in the most turbulent times.

Above everything, is knowing that your mental health is unique to you, therefore your journey, mechanisms and support may also need to be unique to you.

As we navigate a post-pandemic world, it is incumbent upon us to not only pursue individual healing but also to advocate for systemic change in mental healthcare delivery. Policies that support comprehensive and accessible mental health services, and that prioritize marginalized communities most affected by the pandemic, will be crucial.

There's a line in a song by Luca Fugale that says "I am not breaking, I am not broken, I am unfolding" - which I think is beautiful, and really reframes what happens when we have a mental health slip.

I find that things are constantly a work in progress and a testament to the fact that recovery, though never linear, is indeed possible, even if it really doesn't feel like it at the time. But my story is just one of many, and although unique to me, I'm not alone, or finished - it's a journey that continues with each passing day.

In a world currently redefined by uncertainty, pain, and loss, we must stand as beacons of hope, lending a hand to those continuing to struggle.

It's vital during these times to keep the conversation on mental health alive, to continually seek solutions and forge paths to recovery, not just for the individuals, but for our communities as a whole.

History forewarns us that the mental health repercussions of our personal trauma's or a disaster linger far beyond its physical impacts. Therefore, as we hope for improvements of the world around us, and situations that degrade our mental health experiences continue to come at us - let us remember that the silent epidemic of mental health crises needs our sustained attention, compassion, and action.

We are human, we are complex - and we are all a part of this conversation.

Only together, can we face the truths laid bare by the experiences we are having with our governments, environment, pandemics and social crisis — raw and painful as they are — we need to work towards a future where mental health isn't a side effect, or an afterthought, but a priority nurtured with care, understanding, and inclusivity.

Let us stand united, not just in sharing our individual stories, but in working towards a world where mental health is a part of everyone's business.

I invite you to also share your mental health story or experience.