For a long time, I thought awareness was something I could figure out. If I read enough books, listened to enough podcasts, or thought deeply enough, eventually I'd arrive at some kind of understanding. But that's never been how it happened.

As Men’s Mental Health Month arrives, I find myself reflecting on a chapter of my life that I don’t often share in detail. Not because I’m ashamed of it, but because for many years I didn’t fully understand it myself.