With my organising of different charity events, with my next being on August 17th, I get asked constantly, why do I organise these events? My stock response to people is almost always that I’ve had friends and family who have suffered from mental health issues and I want to help as much as I can. Whilst that is completely true, I have suffered quite severely from mental health issues previously as well, as some would know. I have been previously diagnosed with both depression and anxiety. I want to help myself just as much but I’m too scared to tell the person asking, in fear of being judged and being looked at in a negative light.

The organisation of the charity events, whilst it’s a big task to do each one, is a great release for me as it allows me to help others and I get a great sense of enjoyment from the organisation of each one. Plus, it’s gratifying once the event is over and I can say that I’ve raised $x amount for charity. Maybe that’s selfish but I do like having that sense of achievement whilst knowing I’m helping myself and others. The fear of potential failure is almost sky high but relief and a feeling of achievement is just as strong. I have had many loyal supporters of the events, who I am so grateful to. They make organising the events worthwhile and have assisted in raising some great money for mental health charities.

Onto my mental health. As I detailed in a Facebook post on World Mental Health Day in 2017, which I gratefully received a great deal of support from, my mental health issues started some time ago whilst in year 9 at high school. I won’t detail that story again but if you want to read that, it’s HERE. Anyway, for many years, I’ve suffered from mental health battles on and off. It has dragged me down at times but so far, I’ve been able to climb up again.

At times, I’ve felt a great sense of isolation and loneliness, at other times it’s felt as though I’m a complete failure and can’t achieve anything so why bother leaving the house. I often analyse situations, sentences and words to the enth degree. What did they mean by that comment, are they angry with me, do they hate me? Obviously each situation can, and is, be different. I’m someone who has always not wanted to open myself up too much to many people, in case they don’t understand or judge me in a negative light.

Over the past six or seven months, I’ve been subjected to far more information about mental health and sectors of the system than ever before. I won’t go into the circumstances of that but it really opened my eyes to different situations and I look at things in a more educated, if even only slightly, way. The stats from Australia show worrying signs about the mental health. Some of the more serious statistics are, courtesy of beyondblue:-

One in ten young people aged 12-17 years old will self-harm, one in 13 will seriously consider a suicide attempt, and one in 40 will attempt suicide.

Suicide is responsible for one-third of all deaths of young people aged 14-25 years.

6 Australian males take their lives each day, whilst 82 men call an ambulance each day due to suicidal thoughts or an attempt.

The cost of mental ill-health in Australia each year is around four per cent of GDP or about $4000 for every tax payer and it costs the nation more than $60 billion.

One in six Australians is currently experiencing depression or anxiety or both.

To be honest, I’ve seriously contemplated suicide a few times before and they were some very dark days. Earlier this year, I went through a break up, when I felt things were going well, I was genuinely very happy and all of a sudden, it was over. Obviously, break ups happen often but circumstances of the relationship were perhaps slightly unique and not all that common. There were a few other things that happened around the same time and it was bang, bang, bang in a short amount of time. Suddenly, I didn’t want to be here anymore. The feelings luckily subsided after a week or so but luckily I didn’t act on those thoughts. I visited a psychologist, which did help, but it was a rather difficult period. Some people have said to me that it’s common to consider not being alive, maybe it is, but it’s definitely scary when I’ve been going through those thought processes. Would my friends and family even miss me, I think during my darker periods of time.

A story that only two people know about (the person who was with me at the time and my ex girlfriend), is after the charity fundraising event I organised last year, which saw 6 top 20 squash players compete before their Commonwealth Games efforts, I began crying and couldn’t stop, because I felt that I’d failed dismally because I’d only been able to raise just over $6,000 for headspace, the national youth mental health foundation. I don’t know if that was just the emotional release post event or what it was but looking back, I had been struggling around that time with huge self doubt and that just tipped me over the edge. The reason for mentioning this is because many people were congratulating me and saying how well I had organised the event, I felt completely hollow and felt weak in that time. I couldn’t accept people’s congratulations as genuine at the time because I felt they were just saying it to be nice.

The thing that often drags me out of my lowest points is football and of course, my family and friends. I love my football coaching, as I believe I’m quite good at it, and have some very supportive coaches at the club I coach at around me, who are amazing people. They’ve also been some of the most supportive people in attending the charity dinner event I’m organising later this year, which shows a genuine willingness to help and support.

For those that don’t know, I’ve been able to raise in excess of $48,000 for mental health charities from events I’ve organised previously. The goal for the event coming up is to eclipse the $60,000 raised mark. That is a big goal of mine and one which I definitely feel is achievable, with some great supporters coming to the event. With any luck, hopefully it can be over $65,000 raised.

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The headspace Charity Dinner Event will be taking place on August 17th at St Patricks Estate, Manly in Sydney. Tickets are $125, which includes a 3 course dinner, 2 bottles of wine on each table of 10 plus the chance to win over $500 of gift vouchers. There’ll be auction items worth well over $5,000 combined at the event as well. Some of those items include signed Socceroos and Matildas memorabilia, signed and framed Manly Sea Eagles jersey by Steve Menzies, signed All Blacks jersey, a Star Wars Stormtrooper Supreme Edition (worth $1399) and other amazing auction items.

The night will be headlined by Fox Sports Host/Reporter, Daniel Garb, as the MC and will include a number of VIP’s and special speakers. It’s a night not to be missed. If interested in attending and buying a ticket, please email me at jake_cohen_1992@hotmail.com.