Starting the new year with a push for change, Rahil Khan has launched ‘Building Mental Resilience’ (BMR) to encourage people across Bradford to talk more openly about their mental health and support those around them.
According to Mr Khan, BMR will become a safe space for people to speak about how mental health is affecting their day-to-day life. The campaign might also include wellbeing sessions, talking therapies and community events.
Mr Khan first decided to create this campaign after isolating himself and experiencing a crippling sense of depression many years ago.
He said: “Bradford has a strong sense of community, and BMR is about building on that through support and understanding.”
BMR founder Rahil Khan (Image: Rahil Khan)
The Story Behind His Strength
In the years after the pandemic, Mr Khan says a combination of family issues, cultural pressures, work stress, and relationship difficulties steadily took a toll, leaving him feeling isolated and exhausted.
At his lowest point, Mr Khan says he struggled to eat, socialise, or recognise himself, and he eventually faced suicidal thoughts.
He said: “It was not one thing. Everything slowly builds up…I isolated myself from everyone. I was not going to the gym. I was just working and going home to sleep.”
For him, a major barrier was the stigma of speaking up about his mental health within the Asian community. He said he felt like when he tried to open up about his mental health difficulties, he was often dismissed or misunderstood.
Mr Khan said: “When you talk about depression and mental health, they laugh it off,” he said. “For men, it is really hard to speak up about it.”
‘Do something that will make you happy’
Things began to shift once he allowed himself to talk openly with family and friends. His younger brother, a fitness influencer, encouraged him to take small steps.
Mr Khan said: “He came up to me once and said: ‘listen, there’s so many things out there that you can’t do…but you can drive yourself to get out the bed, to focus on your life, just push yourself and do something that will make you happy. It might be a little, small little thing.”
Mr Khan hopes his new campaign will help others recognise early signs of depression and feel confident seeking help.
The initiative will hopefully expand in the coming months as local groups, and organisations express interest in taking part.