It was the first Men’s Mental Health Meetup of 2026 for more than 20 men of varying ages, at least four of them there for the very first time. Serenity Entertainment once again opened its doors for the monthly gathering of men looking for a place where they can share their experiences with each other and find support from within their community. The gathering is sponsored by Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) and Macon Mental Health Matters.

For this first meetup of the year, the men focused on redefining the meaning of strength in their lives, solid anchors in their life for the upcoming year, and, most importantly, how they felt at that moment.

“You’ve got to stop complaining and be grateful for the moment you’re in,” one man said. “No matter if it’s a bad day or a good day, in that moment you should be grateful.”

Another agreed, saying, “we need to appreciate the opportunity to be better the next day.”

Overall, the men were upbeat to start the year, as evidenced by when they were asked for one word to describe how they were feeling.

Wired, respected, grounded, and grateful were all thrown out there, with one man even saying “I’m starting a new journey, and I’m excited for all the new things that are going to come with it.”

Interspersed, though, among that was some caution. Some said anxious, exhausted, and overthinking, with one asking, “Am I giving myself enough respect?” Another pointed out he took a few weeks to back away from friends and a social life. “I just had to get myself together…to do some soul searching and find myself.”

That led to a round of stories among the men about how taking care of themselves first was the foundation of their new definition of strong. Each wanted to be there for family and friends, to be that strong support for them, but that, at times, it can be exhausting, stretching them too thin emotionally, physically, and even financially. They confessed to feeling guilty or ashamed by telling people no…to which they were all reminded about what the safety instructions in an airplane were should there be an accident.

“Secure your mask first and then assist the other person.”

It was widely recognized that, in order to be strong, they had to have the strength to look after themselves.

“We can’t help anybody else if we don’t get ourselves together.”

“You can’t do it all. You have to focus on the things that are actually your responsibility.”

It was the strength of self the group kept coming back to, realizing each man wanted to help the people around them but had faced their own struggles when spread too thin. Almost each in the room talked about how they centered themselves, how they grounded themselves, and what they’re doing to make themselves better this next year.

“I’m getting to know me even better.”

“Sometimes I gotta tell myself to slow down.”

“Sometimes doing nothing is doing something.”

What started quietly and in fitful starts, conversation low and men pausing in their sentences to consider their next words, weighing their feelings and how much they wanted to say or not say had become – over the course of 90 minutes – a lively discussion of shared experiences. The things they had only thought to themselves about, of things they wanted, were the same things being said by the guys around them.

Strength of self starts with each of them as individuals, but they saw that as individuals talking about those things, they gained strength as a group.

“The power to stay grounded starts with you.”

“We redefine strength based on who we are, not what society says it is.”