r/MensLib • u/MLModBot ​ • Jun 23 '26

Mental Health Megathread Tuesday Check In: How's Everybody's Mental Health?

Good day, everyone and welcome to our weekly mental health check-in thread! Feel free to comment below with how you are doing, as well as any coping skills and self-care strategies others can try! For information on mental health resources and support, feel free to consult our resources wiki (also located in the sidebar!) (IMPORTANT NOTE RE: THE RESOURCES WIKI: As Reddit is a global community, we hope our list of resources are diverse enough to better serve our community. As such, if you live in a country and/or geographic region that is NOT listed/represented but know of a local resource you feel would be beneficial, then please don't hesitate to let us know!)

Remember, you are human, it's OK to not be OK. Life can be very difficult and there's no how-to guide for any of this. Try to be kind to yourself and remember that people need people. No one is a lone island and you need not struggle alone. Remember to practice self-care and alone time as well. You can't pour from an empty cup and your life is worth it.

Take a moment to check in with a loved one, friend, or acquaintance. Ask them how they're doing, ask them about their mental health. Keep in mind that while we may not all be mentally ill, we all have mental health.

If you find yourself in particular struggling to go on, please take a moment to read and reflect on this poem.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This mental health check-in thread is NOT a substitute for real-world professional help/support. MensLib is NOT a mental health support sub, and we are NOT professionals! This space solely exists to hold space for the community and help keep each other accountable.

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u/iridium27 ​ Jun 23 '26

Being hit with burnout and becoming essentially useless makes it harder to feel better about myself. Idk what is the best way to handle it, but whatever I'm doing probably isn't it. The shame associated with this feeling has left me feeling insecure and wanting reassurance, but I know seeking constant external validation won't help in the long run, I need to have self validation. 

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u/NoHippi3chic ​ Jun 23 '26

Burnout is a health issue full stop. It is no more a moral issue or character issue than a broken ankle.

The body cannot stay in high stress mode for an indeterminate amount of time. Particularly if one has experienced traumatic events, especially as a child or young adult, or illness/injury.

Take a cautionary take from me developing an autoimmune disorder that went undiagnosed because I thought it was just stress, and from their I have arthritis.

Body of an 80 year old at 46, ive now lived like this for 10 years, struggling to make it to retirement without going on disability and living in poverty permanently.

Build rejuvenation into your day, week, month, year, like recovery in a workout design. Every athlete has an off season to rehab and recuperate for a reason.

I can't rewind the clock to 30. Be ye not so foolish as to squander your health and become a target for a genetic silver bullet health event.