Why I Chose to Grow a Moustache for Mental Health UK

Dear reader,

My name is Mirza Sameer Baig, my first name is Mirza Sameer but I am referred to as Sameer. I am a first year Law student at the University of Oxford. This summer, I have been interning with Group Corporate Treasury Legal at 25 Gresham Street, London. I am also a member of Team 22 of the Charity Challenge and our cohort is collectively raising money for Mental Health UK. More importantly however, we are raising awareness around the importance of mental health and the various conditions that affect many around us.

Many people in 25 Gresham Street would have seen me walking around with a moustache until August, wondering why I am growing a moustache when it is not ‘Movember’. My reason for growing a moustache is because when it comes to mental health, one thing that everyone can say affects them on a daily basis is their appearance. Although we are all beautiful human beings, unfortunately, our mind tricks us to believe otherwise. Humans are constantly self-critical when it comes to appearance, and at times this can cause depression and anxiety. Not only does this affect our personal life but this mind-set has a subsequent impact on our professional life too. These thoughts can infiltrate our mind when working within a team or presenting in front of people. These very thoughts initially infiltrated my mind when I had decided to keep a moustache.

Growing a moustache is not seen as a social norm, a man with just a moustache is rarely ever seen and because of that, I received a lot of stares from people walking down the road and on the tube. In the beginning, I would feel rather uncomfortable when people would look at me because of my moustache. However, over time, I had realised that the moustache does not affect who I am as a person and the only reason people were looking at me was because they do not see many people with moustaches. A few compliments from people about my moustache helped me continue my journey on raising awareness around mental health as well.

The takeaway from this activity for you and I is that we are all unique and we need to love ourselves for who we are. Saying this is easy and I know how difficult it is at times to remember this. However, the realisation of the fact that we are all unique in our own way and that we need to love ourselves for it is extremely important. In a world where we are constantly busy and always working on something, the last thing we need is a lack of self-belief in who we are and how great we all are, because of our physical differences. It’s the last thing we need because it affects how well we do in day-to-day life. Feeling like you’re not good enough because of the way you look leads you to shying away from being in the lime light, from being seen by people; this negative mental state acts as an obstacle to success. This can only be detrimental to your self-development and your personal wellbeing as a result.

Mental Health UK helps people who are suffering from anxiety and depression through support groups, advice and information. The reason why Mental Health UK does this is because at times, many people are either not aware of such mental health conditions or they simply do not have anyone to talk about such conditions affecting them. Talking about how we feel is really important in a day and age where everything is so fast paced and extremely busy. At times, our silence turns us into just another brick in the wall and our condition only worsens.

To conclude, reach out to people if you’re feeling down, you’d be surprised how many people would be willing to listen. It’s easier said than done, but it is something needed in a time where everything has become electronic.

Love yourself for who you are, you’re the best version of yourself out there!!

Kind regards,

Sameer