Men's mental health? "It's a never-ending struggle." These famous gentlemen were fed up with convention and weren't afraid to talk about their psyches
A large part of society still holds an unchanging idea of the ideal man. According to it, no "right man" is a wimp, he doesn't complain and he certainly doesn't cry. But appearances are deceiving - even many of the bravest and toughest at first glance know that in reality things are a little different. Just because someone can hide their emotions from the eyes of others doesn't mean they don't have them. Moreover, some famous men don't even try and break down taboos. Who is one of them?
Justin Bieber
Canadian singer Justin Bieber is one of the most soulful artists. He was particularly candid and detailed about his long-standing mental health problems in a documentary miniseries on YouTube. "There was a time when I had a lot of suicidal thoughts. I felt constant pain and I asked myself if it would ever go away. I was just suffering, and I thought I'd rather not feel anything at all than this," admitted the singer, who is thankfully in a better place now. "I pray, meditate and write music too. It can really help a person even in the darkest moments," Bieber added.
Zayn Malik
But Zayn Malik, former member of the popular boy band One Direction, is not stingy with his words. Although Malik voluntarily left the band, which has taken an indefinite hiatus, the singer's psyche still gives him a hard time. "I love performing, but that's why my anxiety is so disturbing and pretty hard to explain. It escalates to the point of blocking rational thought processes. So even if you know you want to do something and you enjoy it, anxiety will tell a slightly different story. It's an endless battle that you have with yourself," the singer tried to explain his condition.
Malik's former bandmate Harry Styles, who was not spared from mental health issues, was not much better off. One Direction membership, on the other hand, was their battery. "When I first appeared on stage, I had almost no self-confidence. I was paralysed by nerves at that moment because at that time I had no idea how to control and channel my anxiety. I couldn't shake the fear that every other note I sang would be fake," Styles confided.
Ryan Reynolds
The world of film also has plenty of experience with depression and anxiety. The outwardly ever-smiling Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, for example , has had his share. "I've always had a tendency to be depressed," Reynolds confirmed. "I exercise every day for that very reason, otherwise I get very grumpy. Exercise is a means for me to exorcise all my demons," the actor described.
Brad Pitt
Yes, surprisingly, another Hollywood hunk, the ageless sex symbol Brad Pitt, also has something to say on the sensitive subject of mental health. Ironically, he was at his worst at the height of his career in the 1990s. "I was disgusted with myself and tried to hide from the merry-go-round of fame. I smoked too many drugs and just lounged on the couch until I slowly started to turn into a doughnut," the actor recounted. It wasn't until his trip to Casablanca that Pitt's eyes were opened, where his priorities and his whole world view changed as he realised what was really important. "I witnessed such extreme poverty there, which I hadn't encountered before. It stuck with me forever," the actor explained.
Chris Evans
The otherwise indomitable Captain America also has his bad days. His character, Chris Evans, is uncomfortable with the media attention. And because he presciently suspected that there would be a lot of hype around the iconic role, the American actor almost didn't accept it initially. He said he was afraid he'd let everyone down. "I asked every person around me for their opinion. When they said I should do it, I finally agreed, but I had to start going to therapy," Evans explained.
Wentworth Miller
Also originally a British actor and openly gay, Wentworth Miller has admitted to struggling with depression. Still, he tries to remain optimistic. "It's gradually getting better. You just have to believe that there are people out there waiting for you who will love you and celebrate you for who you are. But before that meeting happens, you may have to be your own best friends for a while. Even though they don't teach this in school, you have to figure out how to start loving yourself," the actor said.
Robert Pattinson
English actor Robert Pattinson has also fallen on hard times. The Twilight saga, in which he portrayed the beloved vampire Edward Cullen, had an unfortunate effect on his psyche. "At first, I was very troubled because it felt like my life had been reduced to a minimum. Suddenly I couldn't do a lot of things that I could do and manage without any problems before. But I'm lucky that depression never lasts very long with me," Pattinson let slip. But taking care of mental health should not be neglected by anyone, according to the actor.
Dwayne Johnson
As American actor and former wrestler Dwayne Johnson rightly noted, depression is not a choice. He had something to do with it too. "It doesn't matter who you are, what you do for a living, or where you come from - depression doesn't discriminate and everyone goes through it in some way," said the tough guy also known as The Rock. But Johnson is also literally fooling his body. You might think that such a mountain of muscle would be hard to beat, but the opposite is true. "The struggle and pain are real," he wrote in one of his Instagram posts. He also stressed the importance of not being alone to deal with mental health issues. "Asking for help feels like a shame to us guys. But we must not forget that there is no shame or weakness involved," the actor concluded.
But there are many other famous names dealing with mental health problems, including American singer Adam Levine, English singer Olly Murs, American rapper Kendrick Lamar, American actor James Franco, as well as English footballer David Beckham, Canadian-born actor and comedian Jim Carrey and Britain's Prince Harry. As you can see, the suffering associated with mental health is much more tangible than it might seem. And who is the 'pansy' then? The person who bravely struggles all his life, or the one who berates him unreasonably and stupidly?
