Hold On Pain Ends

06/16/2026

Did you know when you ask a man how they are doing, often they will answer fine, because anything else they answer they know people don’t want to hear.

For those that don’t know, June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

Men are 4 times as likely as women to commit su***de, yet are significantly less likely to seek any form of mental health treatment.

The su***de rate for veterans is even higher than the general population, being 37.8 out of every 100k veterans for men (13.9/100k for women).

For law enforcement it runs about 180 deaths per year from su***de, and that doesn’t include those who commit su***de after retiring.

People expect men to just suck up anything and everything in their lives and continue forward.

Roughly 12.9% of men are classified as alcoholics, and binge drinking actually increases after age 65 among men. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 7.1% of overall disease burdens in men, compared to just 2.2% in women. And that does not even touch on other forms of drugs.

Next time you ask the men in your lives how they are doing, look at their faces, listen to how they respond as well as look at how they respond. And then ask them how they are really doing. Because most people don’t want a real answer from the men in their lives, and most men are unwilling to give a real answer for fear of being looked at as weak.

But there is help:

National PTSD Hotline 800-950-6264 or text “NAMI” to 62640

Su***de and Crisis Lifeline call or text 988

And remember, someone out there cares about you, even if they have never met you.

10/13/2025

“Back in My Day, Kids Didn’t Have ADHD”

You hear it all the time, don’t you?
“Back in my day, kids didn’t have ADHD.”
But they did.
They just didn’t have the language for it.
They had the symptoms, the struggles, the restlessness. but not the understanding.
They were called lazy.
Told to “try harder.”
Punished for “not paying attention.”
Scolded for daydreaming, for interrupting, for forgetting things they were trying so hard to remember.
Those kids weren’t broken, they were just different.
Their brains were wired for curiosity, creativity, and constant motion.
But in a world built for stillness and silence, their light was often mistaken for chaos.
They were the ones who tapped their pencils to stay focused.
Who doodled in notebooks because it helped their minds stay present.
Who got labeled as “troublemakers” because they asked too many questions or couldn’t sit still for long.
And every time they were told to “stop,” they learned to hide a little more of who they were.
Those kids grew up.
They became adults who struggle to start tasks, not because they don’t care, but because their brains don’t process motivation the same way.
Adults who feel guilty for procrastinating, even though they’re exhausted from masking all day.
Adults who can’t stand clutter but can’t seem to get organized either.
Adults who replay every conversation, overthink every mistake, and live with the constant hum of “why can’t I just do this like everyone else?”
Because for so long, no one told them what ADHD really is.
It’s not a lack of discipline.
It’s not about “trying harder.”
It’s a neurological difference, one that affects how the brain manages focus, time, and emotions.
But here’s the good news: awareness is changing everything.
Today, more people are recognizing ADHD for what it is, a different operating system, not a broken one.
We’re learning that kids who fidget, talk too much, or zone out aren’t “bad,” they’re just trying to regulate a brain that processes the world in high-definition.

ADHD Awareness Month isn’t about making excuses.
It’s about understanding the truth behind the labels.
It’s about giving grace to the adults who were once misunderstood kids.
And it’s about making sure the next generation grows up seen instead of shamed.

Because when we understand ADHD, we stop asking,
“What’s wrong with you?”
and start asking,
“How can I help you thrive?”

09/02/2025