NICK Galvin knows first-hand the battles that come with living with mental health issues and he recently created a social media page to try to help others experiencing the same difficulties.
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Mr Galvin hopes to expand RSNGPHX (Rising Phoenix) into a larger company some day, but for now he is hoping to help as many people as possible.
"I've battled with mental health for as long as I can remember, so it's one of those things that's important to me and obviously men's mental health is something that gets brushed over a fair bit," he said.
"Because of my history with mental health, I saw pages and brands and saw what they were doing ... so I guess I wanted to build my own version of those bigger companies but make it more focused on men specifically and the Central West region."
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Mr Galvin decided to name his page RSNGPHX for symbolic reasons after having the theme of a phoenix in his head for a while.
"I've always liked the idea and concept of the phoenix and what it represents," he said.
"So I guess the name tries to encompass the strength of the phoenix rising from the hardships a lot of people deal with with mental health."
Living in a rural city, Mr Galvin found it could be quite difficult for people with mental health issues to get help, especially men.
He said men are often encouraged to be tough and brush things off, which leads to them bottling up their problems until they reach breaking point.
He hopes that by starting RSNGPHX, people will have somewhere to turn to in times of darkness, especially when some psychiatrists are booked out months in advance.
"There's not a lot out here in terms of mental health support full stop," Mr Galvin said.
"Obviously, you have [National Youth Mental Health Foundation for 12- to 25-year-olds] Headspace and that sort of thing, but there's an age cut-off.
"I'm not qualified, by any means, but ... it was just giving, men especially, another avenue to get their story out and feel like they're heard and make them feel appreciated and that they're worth something."
Mr Galvin hopes to expand RSNGPHX, but for now, he said if there's one message he wants to get out, it's to check in on your mates and let them know that you're there.
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Amy Rees
Journalist at the Western Advocate in Bathurst since May, 2021.
Journalist at the Western Advocate in Bathurst since May, 2021.
