Checking in on your mates – and yourself
This week marks both World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK? Day (10 September).
In Australia, around nine people die by suicide every day, and over 75% of those lives are men. It remains the leading cause of death for Australian men aged 15 to 49.
These statistics point to a weight many men carry quietly, especially in midlife. It rarely looks dramatic. More often, it shows up as a quiet fatigue, a shortening fuse, or a gradual sense of effort. The instinct is often to keep holding things together privately, assuming everyone else is managing fine.
Checking in on a mate – or taking a moment to look honestly at your own capacity – doesn’t require a big sit-down or a set of answers. You don’t need to fix anything. Often, it just takes dropping a quick message, making a phone call, or opening a space where neither of you has to perform.
Sometimes simply being heard is enough to let a bit of air out of the tyres.
As this week begins, who comes to mind that you might reach out to? And, how can you offer yourself a bit of space?