Day 12.

Ok, a brief respite!

I don't remember if I said anything about my brush with a depression diagnosis.

It was my second year of teaching and I was working away from my hometown. I thought I'd do okay being away from friends and family. I can call, chat, and all that. The work was hard as I was teaching kids I didn't have a lot of training or experience working with. I'd come home at 7pm or later from staying at school working, and just go straight to bed. Too tired to make food, or eat. I thought sleep would give me the energy but I found it harder and harder to get out of bed. Get out of the house. It was all a slog. It was so difficult to do.

I was showing up to work late and almost got in trouble. I eventually went to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic and we talked it through. He gave me an assessment and told me I was at risk for a depression diagnosis and referred me to a psychologist. I ended up only seeing the psychologist once since I didn't really have benefits to pay for the cost. It was helpful though to know that I might have been going through something that I can't just simply "willpower" out.

In the end, I managed to reconnect with my friends that year. Every weekend, I'd drive back to my parents' place, and I'd hang out around town to play board games, video games, eat food, watch movies, all that.

I didn't realize before that I needed that so much. Connection, friends, and family. I know it sounds sappy and that's probably how I felt about it back then. The "Lone Wolf" persona that so many men in media portray was something that I thought was me. I'm manly right? Well, I'm manly enough to admit that I need to keep connected with friends and family.

Day +2, 2023 Woop it has been a month! Sorry this is late!

I did promise a review on the Barbie movie and how it relates to masculinity and here it is!

First things first. This past week, a co-worker had a medical emergency during our Pro-D day and it was quite the traumatic experience for the school staff. It's hard for me to tell how much everyone is affected but the good news is this co-worker is recovering well! Work never really slows down, even when scary things happen, so I've definitely felt some additional emotional stress and seen quite a bit of it over the week with my co-workers.

Anyways, without further ado... my take on the Barbie movie and its portrayal of masculinity! Spoilers for the movie!

First, I think the introduction of masculinity as a topic in the movie is not subtle at all. That's totally okay. It enters the concept quite childishly (which I think is great) as Ken enters the "real world" with Barbie. All his life, he has been an accessory to Barbie and never quite found his place. He didn't feel value, responsibility, a role, or anything else in Barbieland. However, on merit of just being a man in the "real world" he felt as if he had opportunities. Though portrayed satirically and in an exaggerated fashion, it really isn't far from the truth. As a man my competency in many things has rarely been questioned (even when it probably should have). I can "fake it 'till I make it" pretty much with very few checkpoints and roadblocks. Barbie on the other hand, gets ogled, fetishized, and objectified by men. She gets scorned by women. Ken notes that the only thing stopping him from getting a high paying job is experience and credentials. All the people he talked with actually took him pretty seriously besides that.

Day 12, 2023
I have two topics that have come up this month and I'll start with this one.

Last weekend, staff and students at our school learned that a student had passed away. Teachers were tasked with telling their first class the news. It was emotional, I cried, I was awkward, I was vulnerable. I'm proud that I did it and that I wasn't afraid to share how I felt.

I shared that part of my campaign is to let men (and people who know men) that they are allowed to have feelings. Our old culture and traditions may forbid it but we are moving forward through an era where our feelings matter, we should pay attention to them, celebrate them, and take care of them. That is how we can heal and not hurt, both ourselves and others. By acknowledging that we are not okay, we can take steps to address it and hopefully be okay again.

Next time, I'll reflect on the ideas of masculinity talked about in the Barbie movie!

If you'd like to donate in support of Men's Mental Health, drop it here at https://movember.com/m/achanmo?mc=1

#movember2022 it's the last day! It just got quite cold here and snow has graced our streets. Man or not, if you have someone who is comfortable giving you a hug do so! It releases oxytocin, the hormone for attachment and social bonding. It can make people feel better or seek social contact! My life improved when I embraced hugging! Let's teach guys that it's cool to hug! Last day to donate to men's mental and physical health at https://movember. Com/m/achanmo?mc=1

Day 5! I'm waiting for my friends to arrive for dinner and some board games. I think that having things to look forward to has been a game changer for my mental health. I was at my lowest when I started teaching and was living a bit further than where I grew up. Reconnecting with my friends and planning events to look forward to has really helped me cut through the lethargy of the daily grind. I love my job but I don't think I can sustain my energy if it was the only thing in my life. Hope you all find things to look forward to!

You can donate to men's health at my movember campaign page https://movember.com/m/achanmo?mc=1

Day 1 of Movember 2022. "In the Western world, males die by suicide three to four times more often than do females." - Wikipedia

Part of this is due to it being abnormal for men to talk about their feelings. Let's help them out with some fundraising towards men's mental health. Let's normalize feelings for men that aren't just joy and anger. Donations greatly appreciated at https://movember.com/m/achanmo

It is day 17 already and the fake and broken handlebars are here!

Self Care is a real struggle. I'm dividing things like cleaning myself, feeding myself, sleeping enough, doing chores and such as self maintenance. Without these things, many things fall apart if neglected too long.

That list of things sometimes means there's little time to put your mood, emotions, and mental well being in check. Things that help me are exercising, watching TV, hanging with friends, listening to music, and reading something that isn't for work.

I'm jealous of those of you who get the self care benefits from doing self maintenance tasks!

It's another November Movember and I'm here to raise money for men's health. I will be talking about mental health things that men deal with from my perspective. I had some hits this year and I'll talk more about it as we go along. If you'd like to donate please check out my donation page at https://ca.movember.com/mospace/13592729?utm_medium=app&utm_source=android&utm_campaign=share-mospace

#movember2020 day 30. Last day!

Saying goodbye to this spiky face thing!

Thanks for hanging with me through yet another November. Thanks for all the love and support! Our team raised $1240 for men's health and cancer! Big shout out to Mr. J who runs Way of the Wrench! https://youtu.be/t8--R3-mDdQ

It's never too late to donate to health and wellness! I'm at movember.com/m/achanmo

#movember2020 day 25. I'm mentally and physically exhausted! Managing a smile because I know behaviours can influence attitudes (thanks Psych class). I'm on to teaching grade 8s daily now and they are a blast. It just drains a lot of energy for me. Going to put things back in order and then hit up some video games #ffxiv to reset my brain.

Donate to beating men's cancers and preventing suicide at movember.com/m/achanmo