«Be a Friend. To Yourself Too»: a campaign on men’s mental health

plusone social impact has launched the «Be a Friend. To Yourself Too» campaign, highlighting the issue of men’s mental health through male friendship, as men are often willing to do much more for their friends than for themselves.

Men in Ukraine are not accustomed to sharing their struggles. Society imposes expectations of «masculinity» and «strength», creating pressure and fear of appearing weak. The bigger issue is that men rarely seek psychological help, even when they truly need it.

Harmful societal norms are passed down through family, school, culture, and even advertising. As a result, there is no culture of openly discussing emotions or mental health challenges among men. This has made men’s mental health one of the most unspoken topics in society.

The full-scale war has further worsened the problem, as many men have joined the military and live in high-stress environments while still being part of a culture where talking about mental health is taboo. Even in critical states, many find excuses: «I’ll handle it myself», «I don’t want to seem weak», «Others have it worse than me».

The campaign «Be a Friend. To Yourself Too» encourages a simple shift in perspective – imagine if your closest friend confided in you about their problems, stress at work, or fears about the future.

Would a real friend judge them for it? Would they call them weak and walk away? Or would they support and help them?

By using this example, the campaign aims to show that if a man is willing to support a friend, why not offer the same support to himself? If we can empathize and acknowledge the struggles of others, we should learn to be that friend to ourselves too.

Video Script:

— Good morning, I have a question. It’s for a friend, not for myself. He can’t sleep because of nightmares.

— He’s withdrawn, doesn’t want to see anyone.

— He feels completely empty.

— His family situation is bad, constant arguments, intrusive thoughts, fears.

— It’s like he no longer feels joy in life.

— But this is anonymous, right? Thank you, I’ll pass it on to him.

We were never taught to be vulnerable, but there are blows even the strongest among us cannot withstand alone. You notice mental health struggles in your friend. You understand. You offer support.

Be a Friend. To Yourself Too.