Niall Breslin has candidly opened up about his struggles with mental health, revealing that time and time again he repressed his emotions and hid when he should have seeked help.
The singer revealed that Ireland as a nation doesn’t deal with admitting a weakness well, but that this needs to change.
Writing on his new well-being website, A Lust For Life, Bressie said, “When we repress our emotions, we repress our identities. When we can’t fully be ourselves, when we disguise aspects of who we are, life can become very difficult and challenging.”
Bressie understands this feeling all too well, as he himself struggled in silence for a number of years.
“This is exactly what I did for almost half of my life. I made excuses for myself. I ran away from dealing with my issues. I lied to people I loved,” he said.
The author has now noticed a change in the stigma surrounding mental health – one for the better.
“I was defined, manipulated and ultimately controlled by a stigma that choked a society into silence, a society that needed to talk. That society is now talking, that stigma is slowly eroding,” he admitted.
While the stigma is slowly disapearing, he understands it’s still “frightening and quite intimidating” to seek help, but it’s vitally important.
“I’m asking you, calling on you, to please ask for help if you need it. Pick up the phone, make the call, send the email, make your appointment. Do it now. Life is precious,” he said.
His book Me and My Mate Jeffrey is out now.
