BE Kevin Love

Kevin Love is tall, handsome, rich, famous, athletic, and most importantly…BRAVE.

If you don’t already know him, please take the time to read about him because I personally think he's a hero. You see, Kevin -who has been in the NBA since 2008 and currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers - has anxiety and depression. But, what makes him brave is his willingness to share this information with the world.

Although things are definitely trending in the right direction, most men still struggle with their mental health issues silently. I blame the whole toxic masculinity notion of…you always have to seem strong and never talk about your feelings crap that society feeds men. The truth is mental health issues do not discriminate based on gender! Men experience just as much mental illness as women do yet they tend not to be open about it nor seek help for it. It’s no surprise then that suicide and substance abuse rates are much higher for men.

That’s why I want all my men to BE Kevin Love. After suffering a panic attack during an NBA game in 2017 (and encouraged after seeing, fellow NBA player, DeMar DeRozan open up about his own struggles), Kevin not only sought help - he also spoke up. He went public with his lifelong mental health issues and wrote some very powerful, raw articles - To Anybody Going Through It and Everyone is Going Through Something, as examples. In doing so, he inspiringly got a conversation started amongst athletes and men, in general. The world of professional sports is perhaps the most ‘masculine’ of all arenas, and so for him to do this was not only brave, but empowering. We can only hope that his voice helps normalize the conversation about mental health for all men.

Kevin didn’t just stop there. Since his admission he continues to be vulnerable through his public statements and interviews, along with his Facebook and instagram posts. And, as brave souls often do, he has turned his suffering into good by forming the Kevin Love Fund. It’s mission is to ‘inspire people to live their healthiest lives while providing the tools to achieve physical and emotional well-being’. Kevin preaches that we need to prioritize mental health right alongside with physical health. What a powerful message for a professional athlete to share and one that I wholeheartedly support. Perhaps even more impressive is that Kevin’s work led the NBA to require all teams to have at least one full-time professional mental health clinician on staff. Let’s pray that all professional AND non-professional sports organizations, as well as all schools, colleges/universities, and workplaces, follow suit!

Kevin isn’t the only famous mental health hero out there. Did you know that Carson Daly (of NBC’s Today Show and The Voice) struggles with debilitating anxiety? The talented and hysterical Wayne Brady (from Whose Line) suffers from depression - as do The Rock, Shaun Mendes, Michael Phelps…and so many more. When a man lauded for his achievements (musical, acting, sports) opens up about his mental health struggles, society begins to accept that men are not weak or less than because of their illness…instead they are simply human.

So, pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing from the men in your life. Ask them how they're feeling - often. Start honest and non-judgmental conversations with them. Confront them about their unhealthy behaviors and share with them the stories of respected male figures. Tell them you love them not in spite of their vulnerabilities, but BECAUSE of them.

It’s time for the stigma of male mental illness to be abolished. It’s time for acceptance, encouragement, and support. It’s time for men to BE brave. It’s time for men, and all of us, to BE Kevin Love.

P.S. Kevin's response when asked what it's like now that he's in touch with his mental health..."When people ask me what's different and what's the thing that has changed the most, I often say it's how comfortable I feel in my own skin. I'm unapologetically myself and can finally just BE me at all times. It's so freeing and not only affects the mind but calms your whole body." Speak that truth Kevin!