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“There’s something admirable about
that. Women taking the time to educate
themselves about what their brothers,
fathers or husbandsmay be silently going
through,” he said.
The second speaker, clinical psychologist
Danial Mahadi, spoke on “Anxiety in High-
FunctioningMen”, thosewho appear calm
and capable on the outside but internally
wrestle with overthinking and emotional
turmoil.
The talk concluded with an open
discussion, where attendees asked how
to support friends who struggle but won’t
open up.
“Sometimes it starts with something as
simple as asking, ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Do
youwant to talk about it?’ No one is going
to admit they’re dealing with anxiety or
depression in front of people they don’t
know. So we have to make it easier for
them to take that step by letting them
know the mental health support that is
actually available and reachable.”
Among those leading this quiet but
meaningful revolution is Pg Azlan Shah
Pg Hj Ahmad. His mother passed away
when he was 29, and four years later, so
did his father.
The burden of grief, combined with
anxiety and depression, led him to seek
mental health assistance.
“I personally think, if there were no
interventions, I don’t think I could move
on like I do today,” he said. “It was as
if I finished running a marathon -finally
exhaled after holding my breath for
years.”
CREATING SAFE SPACE
Inspired by his own journey, Pg
Azlan began the Cahaya Project, an
initiative that aims to empower through
programmes focusing on mental
wellness, social upliftment, and cultural
education.
At its core, Cahaya Project is about
encouraging conversations around
mental health and giving people the tools
to cope more openly and effectively.
Mental health, he said, became a central
focus because it was deeply personal.
“To be honest, I was a non-believer. But
after you get the intervention that you
need, you think: Why didn’t I do this
sooner? Otherwise, I would’ve lived life
a bit better, with more clarity and ease.”
The project’s recent public talk,
‘The
Weight We Carry: A Mental Health Talk
for Men’
, drew around 30 attendees, most
of whom were in their late 20s to 30s.
Moderated by Dr Munir Metassan, the
session started with Nasyhea, a clinical
psychologist covering topics such as
burnout, anxiety, and depression, along
with practical tools for recognising when
to seek help.
What Pg Azlan found most heartening
was the presence of women in the
audience.
CHANGING MINDSETS,
ONE CONVERSATION AT A
TIME
The stigma surrounding mental health is
slowly lifting, especially among younger
generations. But cultural expectations
remain a significant barrier particularly
for men.
“Men tend to talk less about their
emotional struggles. Many studies have
supported this. Maybe they have friends,
but not the kind of friends they can talk
to on such matters,” said Pg Azlan.
Cultural expectations, he said, also play
a role.
“You’re supposed to be the provider, the
man of the house, strong physically and
mentally. But the side effect of being
strong is that your mental health gets
put aside.”
He stressed that mental health is not
defined by gender. “Whether you’re a
man or a woman, we all carry weight. Life
is complex, and it’s hard for everyone in
different ways.”
Cahaya Project also takes into account
the generational shift in how mental
health is viewed. “The idea of resilience
back thenmight haveworked for that era,
but theways of today need to fit this era,”
PgAzlan said. “Our culture is transitioning
from a Gen Xmindset to Gen Alphas, and
we have to understand those changes
are happening.”
Normalising mental health may take
time, but it begins with one person being
willing to speak up, and another willing
to listen. Just as grief is not something
to overcome but something to endure,
so too is the journey to healing — one
step at a time.
And sometimes, the first step is as simple
as saying, “It’s okay to talk.”
Normalising
mental health
may take time,
but it begins with one
person being willing
to speak up, and
another willing to
listen.
And sometimes,
the first step is as
simple as saying,
“It’s okay to talk."
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