Reality check: as humans we aren’t always happy, living out best lives in total bliss. Statistically speaking, more than half of us will be diagnosed with with a mental illness or disorder at some point in our lives, with 1 in 5 of us experiencing it in any given year. Despite this broadly shared aspect of experience, we aren’t all that good at actually talking about the tough moments, our failures, insecurities; the things that are going ‘wrong’. . Unfortunately this rift between what is actually happening inside of everyones minds and what we see expressed in our day to day interactions often leaves those who are struggling mentally to feel of shame, failure, isolation, and hopelessness. The very desire to match up to our own expectations and those of our peers, friends and colleagues can make it extremely difficult to talk about our feelings or mental strife. Furthermore, these same paradigms may also prevent us from reaching out for help even when it is exactly what we need most. . Taking all of the above into account, SGP director @mikaljamesbrown set out to create Ups and Downs alongside @drewpeterski with the aim to shed light on the all too often closeted experience of emotional struggle and mental illness that in all likelihood is affecting 20% of everyone reading this post. Our hope is that Drew’s vulnerable and powerful efforts sharing his story may help us all to recognize that mental health deserves to be embraced and supported through open discussion, expression, and therapy no matter how small or large the symptoms. Beyond this, and perhaps just as importantly, that it is ok to not be ‘ok’. . Find the full film linked in our bio 🙏. #upsandsowns #upsanddownsfilm #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #solomon #solomonstv #sweetgrassproductions #mountainfilm #ski #skiing #film #talkaboutmentalhealth #outdoors #outdoorfilm #suicideprevention #suicideawarness #mentalhealthawareness #documentary #outdoorfilm