(Hampton, NH) When it comes to dealing with the daily highs and lows of life, we all have different ways of coping with the rollercoaster. Some people go to therapy, some people meditate, a lot of us take anti-depressants, and some folks like to bench press the blues away. One such exercise enthusiast named David Helmrick has even gone so far as to voice on multiple social media platforms that “hitting the gym is his therapy.” Unfortunately for David, despite the wild amount of reps he does each week, he still desperately needs to see a mental health professional.

Now, right away we need to make something clear: we are not here to make fun or shame anyone for their mental health. Quite the opposite. We just know that despite what he might think, David is going through so much right now and just sweating it out isn’t going to cut it. He really needs to see a therapist and work on some healthy coping mechanisms for him to keep moving forward with his recovery. This is a process, not an overnight thing.

It’s also not linear, that’s not how life works. This is another thing David needs to understand. Unlike with building muscle, where you might encounter a plateau every now and then, mental health has a lot more peaks and valleys. Stable periods are actually what you are kind of shooting for.

But again, David just keeps believing in the illusion of progress through strength, something we all have to come to grips with eventually. But tenderness is where it’s at, tenderness is how we survive. Strength can only get you so far. Things like love and tenderness, those are limitless.

Ultimately, David, it’s your life and you just have to do what you can with it. Run that 5k, pull that semi truck, build that hotel of cinderblocks in your backyard with your own two hands. Do the damn thing, basically. But also do the damn therapy thing, the damn introspective thing, the damn working on yourself for a better, more fulfilled life thing.

This was written by Nathan Ellwood, who used to have a nose but lately it’s been missing. Follow him (and his noseless face) here.