19/11/2025
“I want my boys to grow up knowing that real strength isn’t about hiding your emotions, it’s about having the courage to be yourself.”
For a long time Nick lived under the pressure of stereotypical masculinity to appear strong and be the ‘man of the house’ leading to years of suppressing his emotions until he reached breaking point. Here’s his story 👇
“Back in 2020, I suffered a bit of a breakdown. It was as a result of years of ignoring what was going on with myself – trying to be strong and the ‘man of the house’. I’d had too many things happen and not dealt with them; it all came to a head. It was difficult not knowing what was going on with myself - I felt detached from my family. It was isolating. Luckily, I sought help from doctors. I was put on medication and I’ve had therapy and counselling. And my journey began.
“During that time, I’d reached out to the Samaritans. Sometimes I was thinking I didn’t want to burden my family – especially during lockdown. It was really hard. I’ve had a few calls with Samaritans. The people on the other end of the phone were absolutely brilliant, they didn’t judge me and really listened to me. Just having the peace of mind that there’s someone who was willing to listen was a big thing for me - having that person to talk to was something I needed. Sometimes, having that first conversation is the most difficult. But once you have, it’s almost liberating to speak out loud.
“My wellbeing now is pretty good. The thing I’ve started to realise is that I will still have bad days – they will come. But as quickly as they come, they will go. I have an acceptance of it. For a long time, I was afraid of them – I couldn’t bear to have one of those days. I’ve been able to get the help that’s needed and deserved. I’ve learned coping mechanisms and built resilience through therapy. If you’re on a boat and its stormy seas – it won’t last forever, the storm will pass and you’ll be on smooth waters soon. You’ll weather the storm.
“There is still a big thing around men feeling like they need to be strong all the time. It might be generational too, I know thinking about my dad and grandad for example, I can see how that mentality has been passed down. My mum was someone who encouraged me to talk about my emotions.
“I’m passionate about encouraging other men to live more openly and authentically, as a father of four sons it’s really important to me they’re able to share their emotions and be themselves.”