If you are an Australian male, when was the last time you sat down with a friend over a cold beer and 'softened the f--- up'?
For some, this may have been as recent as last week. For others, it is a once in a lifetime occasion. And for a few, the thought of expressing your feelings to a mate, GP or even your family may send you running as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
Let's face it, anxiety, depression and general sadness aren't easy subjects to talk about, even if you consider yourself to be an open and laid back kind of person.
One group of young Australians is trying to change this, by taking a fresh and direct approach to male mental health issues.
Rather than encouraging men to be tough, take a spoonful of concrete and 'harden the f--- up,' they are advising exactly the opposite.
Soften the F--- Up (SFTFU) is the brainchild of Ehon Chan, who describes himself as a "researcher, strategist, thinker and do-er" on his LinkedIn profile.
This organisation may have a confronting name - excuse the blasphemy - but the messages it is trying to convey are important, timely and necessary.
According to SFTFU, suicide is the number one killer of Australian males aged between 14 and 44.
Ehon Chan and his team are not comfortable with this statistic, nor do they think you should be.
With the SFTFU project, they want to break down the stereotype of the traditional tough, hard and resilient Aussie male.
They are reminding everyone that even the bravest and the blokiest of men go through a hard time every now and then.
To get the message across, SFTFU have released a new video called "Better if You're Around".
The clip, which is just over one and half minutes long, starts with a young man sitting on his bed feeling blue in one frame, and flashes forward fifty or so years in the next frame.
As he sits there in one shot feeling miserable, the next screen shows what his life could be - falling in love, having a family and living into old age.
After these scenes have played out, these words come up on the screen: "You've got some pretty good times coming your way. It would be better if you were around for them."
Communications director Chris Wagner told news.com.au in an exclusive interview (July 9) that this video shows people that sadness and depression are not forever, and that you can get through difficult times.
"One positive about this is that it provides a message to people who are thinking about suicide that there's so much they can look forward to," he said.
"This video can help people recognise that there is life beyond the feelings they're experiencing at this point in time."
You can watch the clip over at the Soften the F--- Up website. Here, you can find out more about male suicide statistics, read real life experiences from other men on the blogs and even volunteer to get involved.
