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Minnesota Vikings fullback C.J. Ham has decided to tell his story as he is hoping that it will encourage others who are going through similar problems to open up and seek help. Ham admitted he went through a lot as a kid and those things took a toll on his mental health.
While discussing mental health among men, Ham said for some it's tough to open about their personal struggles as he noted it's not easy for some men to talk about her problems. "As a Black man, experiencing injustice – from a young age all the way through today – those things weigh on you.
When it comes to self-worth and feeling like you're enough, [wondering] if people truly care about who you are," Ham said, via CBS Sports.
Ham seeked help for the first time in senior year at college
When Ham finally decided to seek help for some of his problems, he got the help he needed to combat his stutter.
Reflecting on that, Ham said he didn't want to be defined by that anymore and he felt relieved after he finally addressed his issues. "It was something that I let define me for so long, that it just affected my day-to-day; it affected my interactions with other people," Ham said.
"And finally when I was able to take hold of that and take over that, I was freed from it. I think that's a big step for all of us to look at – whatever's going on in your life, whatever you're dealing with, don't let it define who you are.
… You are [more] than your mental state. You are [more] than that disability that you may struggle with. "It has no more power when you get it out of the dark. These opportunities kept coming to me to speak in front of thousands of people, or just have interactions with people, and I knew if I said 'no,' it would still have hold of me.
… I wouldn't be able to get better; I wouldn't be able to shine a light on it. I think because of me saying 'yes' and working at it, I believe that God is using my weakness to be one of my strongest points in my life."
