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Dan Frost is a 42-year-old husband, dad, Arsenal fan, and department manager at a fire alarm company in East London. He’s also a regular at Orsett Golf Club, where he sneaks in a weekly round - more if the wife signs off.
For years, Dan thought mental health was something people chose. You were either happy or sad. If you wanted to be happy, you just… were. That belief was shattered in 2011 when his mum took her own life. The loss turned his world upside down and left him struggling to understand why his own feelings didn’t make sense.
Golf became the place he could breathe. The course gave him quiet when his head was busy, and connection when life felt heavy. Sometimes that meant keeping score, sometimes it meant ripping the scorecard up with his brother and just hitting shots until the weight lifted.
Dan now speaks openly about his journey - from the years he thought mental health wasn’t “real” to learning it’s as real as anything else we face.
His story is about family, resilience, and the way golf helps him show up as the best version of himself, on and off the course.
Dan’s story shows how loss can completely rewrite what you think you know about mental health.
For most of his life, he saw it in simple terms - you were happy or sad, motivated or lazy, fine or not. His mum’s suicide shattered that. It forced a harder truth: that mental health isn’t about choice or mindset. It’s chemistry, circumstance, timing, and pressure all colliding in ways that can overwhelm even the strongest person.
That realisation can change people. It can replace judgement with empathy. It can make you slower to assume, quicker to listen. And it can move someone from thinking mental health is “someone else’s problem” to realising it lives in all of us — some days steady, some days not.
Dan’s story isn’t about answers. It’s about how understanding often comes from the hardest places, and how empathy built from loss can still be one of the most powerful kinds there is.
If parts of Dan’s story connect with you, these may help:
Black Dog Video (WHO) – “I Had a Black Dog” is a short animated film by the World Health Organization that captures what living with depression can feel like in a way that’s simple, honest, and widely relatable.
🔗 youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc
Suicide Prevention Support (UK) – Papyrus HOPELINEUK offers free, confidential support for anyone under 35 experiencing suicidal thoughts, or for those worried about someone else.
🔗 papyrus-uk.org | Call 0800 068 4141 | Text 07860 039967
Understanding Suicide and Mental Health – Mind has clear, practical guidance on understanding suicidal thoughts, how to stay safe, and where to get help.
🔗 mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/suicidal-feelings
Talking Therapies (UK) – NHS Talking Therapies lets you self-refer for free counselling or CBT anywhere in England.
🔗 nhs.uk/talking-therapies
US Support – 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free, 24/7 emotional support for anyone in distress, as well as guidance for friends and family who want to help.
🔗 988lifeline.org | Dial 988
Global Mental Health and Crisis Support – Befrienders Worldwide connects you to free emotional support centres in over 30 countries.
🔗 befrienders.org
If You’re Struggling Right Now (24/7) –
• UK: Call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
• US: Dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org)
• Worldwide: Find verified helplines in your country at findahelpline.com
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