“I almost had to die twice in order to finally live.”

That statement lingers poignantly in the air as Adrian Jeremiah Colon pauses to collect his thoughts.

“I’ve been Baker Acted twice for attempted suicide. I live with anxiety and depression, and I’m a product of childhood trauma. But… I am also a success story,” he says. “I believe that. I embrace that. I live that. I am a survivor, and if sharing my story helps even one other man survive and thrive, then I’m making the most of my experience. One of my mottos is: The life you save could be yours.”

Through his words, Adrian paints a beacon of hope, showing that even in the darkest moments, the human spirit has the power to emerge stronger and brighter than ever.

Though his message is universal, Adrian is keenly focused on helping other men navigate the murky waters of mental health. Traditionally, men are awful at talking about their overall emotional well-being, and feelings in general. But being “good” or “fine” is hardly accurate. According to the latest available numbers, men die by suicide 3.63 times more often than women. Seventy percent of all suicides are men.

According to Adrian, those statistics skyrocket in ethnic communities, where toxic masculinity is still a way of life. “It’s challenging enough to be a man, but being Latino… you don’t talk about mental health, you don’t talk about what you’re experiencing. It’s not even up for discussion. But why? I’ve learned it takes so much more strength to be vulnerable, to speak up when you are having problems. To realize that it’s not what other people think of you for sharing; it’s how you think of you.”

Which is where Adrian’s battle cry and social media message — Screw Their Version of You — was born. This statement resonates with anyone who has grappled with societal expectations, personal doubts, and the pressures of conformity. “Screw your own version of yourself, and screw whatever version people think of you.” With this, Adrian stresses the significance of letting go and throwing away the power that society and others hold over self-worth.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of stigma, secrecy, and reluctance cloaking the discussion of men’s mental health. Many men feel pressured to be stoic about their emotions, stress, trauma, and general mental health. In turn, there is also plenty of pressure on men to cope with the ups and downs of mental health silently and alone. Because of these societal norms, there’s this seemingly insurmountable fear of the backlash tied to acknowledging and expressing their emotions. Just like any other gender, men do get lonely, experience grief, and feel vulnerable. Yet, for some reason, the antiquated response to “Man up!” or “Suck it up!” continues to be perpetuated, creating generations of men around the globe (demographics and cultures do not discriminate on this front) who fear expressing themselves, struggle to identify and/or regulate their emotions, and are definitely not into going to therapy. Adrian says, “Who wants to be vulnerable if they are going to be shamed or name-called back into hiding each time they try to speak what’s on their heart? Precisely no one. It’s easier to remain silent.”