https://www.facebook.com/100940782903199/

MenSpace Wangaratta, Wangaratta (2025)

02/05/2023

A common trend amongst men is to brush off their mental health struggles, or simply not acknowledge the existence of their struggles and focus on other aspects of their life. Unfortunately this does not help in any way shape or form, I will be the first to admit I did this for years and it wasn’t until I acknowledged my struggles and accepted I needed help that I could start working towards putting steps in place to address these issues. The saying “it ain’t weak to speak” will always remain true, it takes more of a man to accept and acknowledge then it does to brush it off in the hope it will go away. Speak up men, there is literally 0 shame in opening up 💙

30/04/2023

We’re back!
Apologies for the lack of activity on this page, due to a number of personal reasons including starting a new position at work and a few medical reasons with my son I found my own anxiety becoming more and more prevalent again which required some time for myself. I believe this reinforces the importance of taking care of yourself and taking the necessary steps in order to regain control of your mental health which includes for myself regular visits to my psychologist!
I look forward to sharing more content with you all and working towards building a stronger awareness for men’s mental health specifically in our area 💙

12/02/2023

Anxiety and depression looks different for everyone, at times it’s seemingly invisible.
Whilst I may seem happy, confident and carefree in this photo the reality is it’s a photo, a millisecond snapshot, it doesn’t tell a story.
What you can’t see is that I was on antidepressants, I had drank a lot before this photo, I was smoking, not to mention the 10 photos that were taken before this photo because I was so self conscious of the way I looked (anyone can be body conscious so don’t assume)
This is just a gentle reminder on this Monday morning to be kind because you really have no idea what is under the surface of others 💙

19/01/2023

Part 3

I don’t really recall how long we waited for before the transport (helicopter/plane, honestly don’t remember) arrived, but before we knew it she was being placed into the transport cot and was wheeled out past our families and my partner. And that’s all they got, that was the introduction to their first grandchild and niece.
Unfortunately I was not allowed in the transport and had to drive to Melbourne, so shortly after the transport left my mum and I left straight to Melbourne. My partner was unable to come straight away due to just having surgery. We arrived at the Mercy hospital in the early hours of the morning and were taken straight up to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

Walking in, not knowing what to expect I was taken to her. I walked through the NICU, and there she was, my little girl hooked up to what felt like every machine possible. Right then, I knew, Abby girl was in for the fight of her life. Later that day we spoke to the paediatrician and he told us the heartbreaking news.

Abby had lost a lot of blood and her organs had began to shut down, the machines were keeping her alive at this point. Again, my heart sank and I broke. We took hope that she would improve over night, and all we could do was wait.

17/01/2023

Part 2

The phrase that still plays over in my head to this day came from the doctor “once she is out and if everyone is happy we will drop the curtain and you can meet your daughter.” Well she came out and the curtain did not drop, I caught a glimpse of my daughter as she was taken straight across to the paediatrician. My heart sank, i knew something wasn’t right. A doctor was straight by our side, “it’s okay, sometimes they just need some help breathing at the start”. A glimmer of hope, I was taken to her side where I met her and kissed her and her tiny tiny little hand squeezed my finger. Shortly after this my partner and I knew her name instantly, Abby Rose Johnston. Abby meaning “fathers joy”.

At the time it was one of the scariest things I had ever seen, my little girl laying there with a mask on, tubes connected and surrounded by doctors. I remember thinking “it’s okay, she squeezed my finger, she’s going to be okay”

From this point she began to decline and needed more help as she was also developing hydrops. I remember being slowly edged out by doctors and nurses as they began to investigate what was wrong with Abby, the obstetrician called Melbourne and after initial discussions the conclusion was made that she needed to be taken down to the mercy hospital almost immediately. I walked out into the waiting room to tell our families, and right then, that moment, was the first time in my life that I had ever truly and completely just broken.

I will continue the story tomorrow 💙

17/01/2023

My story
Loss, grief, depression, the black dog and the road to recovery.

Part 1
I’d just like to preface with the fact that this is my story and mine alone, everyone has their own story and own reasons for battling with mental health. No two stories are the same and most importantly every individual story and battle is just as important and valid as the next, no matter what. Additionally this story is from my own perspective as a man and my own feelings.

At the ripe old age of 21 my partner at the time and I accidentally fell pregnant, at first a huge shock although it didn’t take long for this shock to become excitement and joy to welcome a child into the world and become a father. Fast forward 9 months, the day of the baby shower and boy was I ready and excited to be a dad and welcome this little girl into the world. The night of the baby shower my partner notice reduced movement from our little girl so straight to the hospital it was, initial reports were it’s not quite right on the monitor but nothing dire by any stretch so we went home, this didn’t sit right so we shortly returned where the decision was made to deliver via C-section. I wasn’t worried, she was far enough along and doctors reassured me as I patiently waited to be taken into theatre to be with my partner.

To be continued..

13/01/2023

Depression and what it can do to your physical health.
On the left was in the midst of a couple of years of the worst my mental health has ever been. I lost weight, my skin deteriorated, I didn’t sleep, i took up smoking, I was drinking, I didn’t look after myself at all because I simply didn’t care.
Fast forward to now, is my mental health perfect and my battle over? No absolutely not, but I am taking the necessary steps to be the best man and father I can be which includes looking after myself both mentally and physically.
Over the weekend I am going to start sharing my story, I hope the men out there take the time and read and realise that I promise you it is okay to not be okay 💙

12/01/2023

The heartbreaking facts about men’s mental health in Australia. While even though no one person or organisation can change this, what we can all do is start to break down and beat the stigma around masculinity and men’s mental health 💙

11/01/2023

Good morning all 👋
My name is Cody Johnston and I’d just like to take this opportunity to introduce the face behind this page, not because this page is in any way about me but I feel it is important that the men and supporters of this page have a face to put to the name. A familiar face at times of need goes a long way when it comes to men’s mental health and speaking up. And it is my hope that through sharing my experiences and own personal battles with anxiety and depression that it may encourage others to be honest with themselves and speak up. And most importantly show you that it’s not weak or “soft” to admit you need help, poor mental health is so prominent in men and more often then not it goes untreated.

I will make a post in the coming days with more of my story and what has led me to creating this network for our local men.
But in the mean time I’d like to thankyou for supporting the page and I urge you to please share as much as possible to ensure we get the greatest reach throughout the area!
Thank you all 💙

11/01/2023

Welcome to MenSpace 💙
A network/page dedicated to providing support and promoting Mental Health awareness for men located in and around Wangaratta.
Stay tuned for more information on our plans as we continue to grow this page ✌️

MenSpace Wangaratta

02/05/2023

30/04/2023

12/02/2023

19/01/2023

17/01/2023

17/01/2023

13/01/2023

12/01/2023

11/01/2023

11/01/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category