Men's Mental Health: An Interview with Cameron Smith from Wodonga
This interview was conducted by the team, interviewing the team at Anytime Fitness in Albury/Wodonga back in June 2022
Q: What comes to mind when we mention men’s mental health?
Cameron: Recently it’s been brought up more commonly, and men seem to talk less about it. So the subject of “men talking about their mental health is on the rise. It’s ok to speak. You don’t need to bottle it up, you don’t need to just “harden up” and “be a man”.
If anybody needs a listening ear, we are always here.
Q: Do you feel that if you were having a struggling time, that it would be perceived as being a weakness?
Cameron: I think with the people that I have around me, and the places that I put myself, that it is a lot easier to speak and the modern day attitudes of those around me, I wouldn’t feel like less of a man to speak.
Q: Is there something you would say to a mate, who you knew was struggling with mental health, but they still felt there was a stigma around it?
Cameron: I would let them know that it’s ok to speak, but not try to force them to speak, because everyone has to feel comfortable with their mental health. I would let them know that I was there for them, and if they didn’t feel comfortable in speaking with me that there are other places for them to speak… but yeah, I would let them know that you’re not less of a man if you wanted to speak.
Q: Do you think, if a friend was struggling with mental health, that you would feel comfortable to reach out first? Do you think it’s more common these days to ask “are you ok?”
Cameron: I feel like mental health awareness (for men and women) is on the rise, to actually say “are you ok?” and try and check on your fiends. I feel like I am more aware to jump out and say, are you ok? … do you want to chat about something? … you know, what’s going on in your life?
Q: What do you do to take care of your mental health?
Cameron: I think a big thing for myself is making sure to talk when I do feel a bit down. I've got a lot of different Outlets because of sometimes you may feel like you can talk to some people about some things that you can't talk to others with. So, you know, I've got a partner who's really good to talk to when it comes to some issues, but then there's some days where I might talk to a mate or friends that I've got in the gym or sporting club. So yeah, make sure you just
Q: You mentioned the gym like obviously physical activity, do you feel like it’s a safe environment to talk about these things?
Cameron: I think so, I think with the awareness to be. There’s a bit of culture with like that when you go to the gym. Yeah. So if you're comfortable in the gym, you know you tend to feel comfortable to talk about a range different things and mental health can be one of those things.