Healing the past, embracing tomorrow

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Ya Enough! shines a light on the importance of mental health awareness and community healing for men and veterans in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Together, we’re healing the past and embracing tomorrow.

There’s a unique silence that often follows many veterans when they return home. It isn’t the peace that comes from rest or relief; instead, it’s a quiet that hums in the background of every thought. In this state, the world feels both overwhelmingly loud and painfully distant. For many who have served, coming home doesn’t signify the end of the war; rather, it marks the beginning of a new battle. This struggle occurs in the silence of their own minds, during the long hours of the night, and within a world that doesn’t always know how to welcome them.

Men often carry trauma in silence, and the burden of that silence manifests in disrupted sleep due to constant vigilance, sudden temper flare-ups, and an overwhelming drive to overwork, as stillness can feel unsafe. The emotional costs are tangible and measurable. Healing transforms both outcomes and possibilities. "What’s in Your Bag" begins by establishing safety and clarity, then progresses to practical skills, including identifying emotions without shame, setting boundaries that maintain peace, regulating the nervous system, and seeking help without feeling indebted.