A former military man has opened up about the mental health journey that led him to create his own combat journals.
Gary Ferguson, a former Royal Navy mine clearance diver, was inspired to help others struggling with their mental health after spending years closed off and disconnected from his own emotions.
Speaking to Glasgow Live, Gary, 33, explained that despite experiencing certain distressing incidents, including the death of his best friend, there was little support available to him.
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He said: "I grew up as a closed-off kid. I didn't have an open family and it sort of stemmed from that.
"While I was in the military, I lost my best friend and I didn't go to the funeral. I had been asked by my friend's parents to be one of his pallbearers but it was strongly recommended by my superiors in the military that I don't attend. I harboured a lot of feelings about that for a long time."
"There wasn't much provision or support for people struggling. The only thing I was offered was to talk to the chaplain, and while it's good to speak to someone, he wasn't qualified on a clinical basis. When I wasn't immediately forthcoming, I wasn't encouraged to seek help."
After leaving the military, Gary began a career in the oil industry and now works as a deep sea saturation diver for Baskalis, where he found similar attitudes towards mental health.
"I spent four years in the military and decide to take the next step in my career and began working offshore as a deep sea saturation diver," he said.
"In the offshore industry, you're surrounded by men, all with a similar mentality where nobody talks about their feelings. My whole career has been surrounded by that macho, male, bury-your-emotions attitude.
"Even in relationships, my whole adult life I've been told I'm closed off. There are only so many times where you think to yourself you should do something about it."
It was only after he began writing his own journal that Gary discovered the therapeutic benefits of putting pen to paper and getting out his thoughts and feelings.
"I'm at that point in my life where I'm looking towards myself. I started writing my own journal, but it was just blank, and that was quite daunting," he explained.
"I structured it in a way to encourage myself to open up.
"The difference was almost like night and day. I became a more open person to my friends and family and even strangers. I was quite taken aback by the result."
He has now released his own combat journals, with the hope of helping other people like himself who struggle to express their emotions, and in the hopes of continuing to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
"If I could help somebody who's as closed off as I was, I thought that was so worthwhile.
"I started researching the different techniques, journals currently on the market, and there really aren't very many. The majority provides a great escape for you, but they often just provide a helpful distraction.
"The main thing I want to do is reduce the around mental health - that's the main thing I was trying to do.
"We are definitely going in the right direction - there's a lot more support for people, but we still have a long way to go."
To learn more about the combat journals, visit the website here.
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