John Timm has come a long way.  He says over the summer his mental health was in a "downward spiral" due to feeling isolated throughout the pandemic, especially from working remotely.  

"I knew I needed actual psychiatric care," said Timm. "I was just so unhappy with what was going on in my life. I was away from my friends. Anxiety and depression just became such a controlling part of my life.”

He decided to take a big step. He shared his feelings with counselors at a mental health care facility.

What You Need To Know

  • John Timm started experiencing anxiety and depression while working remotely due to the pandemic

  • He got help at a mental health care facility over the summer

  • Timm is working to get rid of the stigma around men addressing their mental health
  • The American Journal of Men's Health reports that  the percentage of men seeking mental health care increased by 79% during the first eight months of the pandemic

"Probably my proudest accomplishment in my life is kind of fessing up to that,” Timm said. “I’m a kid that never needed help with anything growing up. I was a good student, a lot of extracurricular stuff.”

Now, he wants to give back. He's using his skills as a craftsman to build symbolic chairs to help spread his message that “no man sits alone.” The sentiment is also the namesake of his mental health campaign.

"No Man Sits Alone is a campaign I started a little over a month ago aimed at ending the stigma of men being perceived as weak for kind of keeping their struggles and mental hardships to themselves," Timm said.

The American Journal of Men's Health reports that the percentage of men seeking mental health care increased by 79% during the first eight months of the pandemic. 

Timm was one of those looking for help.

Part of his therapy consists of the hands-on work that helps ease his anxiety and depression.

"It's not a straight path to recovery, towards getting better. There are bad days and good days,” Timm said.

The chairs are a symbol for what he's trying to accomplish.

"You're not sitting alone with your problems. There are other guys in the same exact spot as your are," Timm said.

He's been selling the chairs online to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Timm has several speaking engagements coming up to share his story.

He says this is just the beginning. 

"This is my way of opening up about my experience in hopes that other men kind of see the strength in it and get go seek help and get the resources that they need to kind of live a better life," Timm said.