Metal Health Matters - Music Mends Minds

24/09/2025

Growing up I believed that mental illness was a choice. I was raised to believe “it’s all in your head” but also 100% controllable. I would tell people close to me that overcoming struggles was a personal thing that they could easily do if they just believed. Until it hit me out of nowhere in 2016. One traumatic event is all it took and an anxious/depressed new version of me was born. I had no idea what was happening to me, I had no control. No matter how much I told myself “it’s all in my head” and “I can control this” I couldn’t. “This could never happen to me” became a lie.

After exhausting all internal options I finally saught help and was prescribed Xanax and Zoloft. The issue was those medications made me lose all love for my passions. They killed the anxiety but they also killed my drive. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but it was for me. For years I battled my mind from the sudden attacks it would wage on me. I’ve found that talking about my problems, meditation, and practicing healthy living are the best options for me. I’m not perfect and some days are worse than others, but I know I love being alive more than any alternative. I know there are so many people who prefer me here and for that I keep fighting the good fight.

I’m no longer afraid to discuss these things on a public platform or in a personal setting because I see the affect it has on others who have or are dealing with something similar. I always knew I wanted the best for people, but I didn’t know I’d become such an advocate for mental health…especially for men’s mental health.

80% of su***des in the U.S. are men.
Even though women attempt su***de more often, men are far more likely to die from it…about 4 out of 5 su***de deaths are male.

Here’s why researchers say the numbers are so high:

More lethal methods - Men are far more likely to use fi****ms, making attempts more fatal.

Untreated mental health - Men are less likely to seek help or be diagnosed with depression.

Social stigma - Cultural norms tell men not to show vulnerability or talk about feelings.

Substance abuse - Higher rates of alcohol/drug misuse increase impulsivity.

Isolation - Smaller support networks, especially in older age, raise risk.

Life pressures - Financial strain, job loss, chronic pain, and grief can hit harder.

We need to normalize mental health conversations for men, create safe spaces to talk, and reduce the stigma that keeps them from getting help.

20/09/2025

Thank you to Matt B from From Ashes to New for sharing. Never let ANYONE make you feel negatively about sharing your mental health struggles.

This is an incredibly difficult and vulnerable post for me to make. If you feel a need to negatively judge me, understand I support your right to your opinion, but I would also like you to know you can go f**k yourself. Now that that’s out of the way…

I’m in the worst headspace of my entire life. This pic might look like a massive smile, but underneath it’s a wince. I appreciate everyone who has reached out after my speech at louder than life and I appreciate all the love so many of you amazing people have and continue to show me. Truth is, I’ve created my own mess…I’m very good at doing that. My entire life has been a series of incredible things that I somehow manage to turn into a mistake that haunts me forever. I’ve chased this dream for as long as I remember all while making sacrifices like missing my first child’s entire childhood, pushing loved ones away, and doing many other regrettable things. You may ask “why tf is he sharing this with everyone?” Truth is, I’m sharing because a massive part of me wants to give up. Give up on everything I’ve worked my whole life for. Give up because I can’t see the light at the end of this tunnel. Give up because I often feel like a rat in a race I’ll never win. But, the reality is I won’t. I won’t go home. I won’t cancel a tour. I won’t quit. I won’t do anything except push on. I need this, my family needs this, and millions of others need to know that you can be strong in your weakest of moments.

So, if you are seeing us this Fall all I ask is you bring amazing energy to the room and smile as big as you can while we are on that stage. Much love 🖤

19/09/2025

If hurting your partner’s feelings doesn’t hurt you, you’re not in love. If their silence after a fight doesn’t make your stomach drop, you’re not in love.
If seeing them cry doesn’t make your chest ache, you’re not in love.
If their happiness doesn’t feel like your own, you’re not in love. If their pain doesn’t shake you to your core, you’re not in love.
Love is more than just wanting them, it’s feeling their joy, their sorrow, their every emotion as if they were your own.
Don’t lose someone who loves you because you never learned how to love them back.

13/09/2025

13/09/2025

13/09/2025

Its so lovely to see Sharon smiling again

10/09/2025

04/09/2025

Heartbreaking