He spoke up after years of being silent.

A man who runs a motorhome dealership left a voice note on Say It Lad this week. Everyone at his job depends on him. His bosses are dealing with the lost of their mother, his staff need constant guidance, and he handles all of it without stopping. His body was failing under the strain. He spent forty years avoiding his past.

He saw domestic violence at home when he was six. By twelve, he suffered abuse that he never reported to anyone. Anger got him locked up in a young offender institution during his teenage years. He rebuilt his life after his release, earned a good living, played music, and raised a family. Then his partner had an affair.

Unresolved childhood events do not stay in the past. They dictate your adult life.

He managed his stress by working long hours and smoking cannabis daily to block his thoughts. That approach failed.

• His ten-year-old son stopped visiting him entirely.

  
  

• He withdrew emotionally from his new partner, which ended their relationship while she was already caring for sick family members.

  
  

• The physical stress caused severe stomach problems, hospital visits, and a chronic illness diagnosis.

  
  

Numbing the pain solved nothing. It made things worse.

He reached his limit and decided to change his routine. He registered for cognitive behavioural therapy through the NHS, rented his own flat, threw away the cannabis, started using nicotine patches, and read books on trauma.

He did not send the message to get sympathy. He sent it to warn other men. You cannot support your family, your partner, or your friends if you are mentally unwell.

Stop staying quiet about what you went through. Quit using habits to hide from your problems, address your past, and get the help you need.

What specific problem are you refusing to deal with today?