Men’s health week
It’s fairly well known that mean aren’t great when it comes to speaking about their feelings, emotions and mental health, In fact:
Three times as many men as women die by suicide.
Only 36% of psychological therapy referrals are men.
Men are three times more likely to develop a substance misuse issue than women.
There are lots of different reasons for the stats above and it’s not simple as it varies between age ranges, cultures, locations, income brackets and job roles.
Here we’re going to look briefly at some of the reasons.
“I can’t let my family down”
Men often feel increased pressure to be providers and not let their family down. So they may hide issues away and try to push through. The problem is this will take its toll will all eventually break down unless we stop and act on what’s going on.
“I’m not mentally ill!”
The prospect of being unwell, especially mentally is a tough one for many but men especially can really struggle if they see it as a sign of weakness. It’s important to remember that mental health is a continuum, it’s not just good or bad, it’s anywhere on a sliding scale and it’s completely normal to need a bit of help with it now and then, the same as we do with our physical health.
“Talking won’t do anything”
This is a popular belief in general population but especially with men – that simply talking to someone won’t achieve anything and isn’t worth the risk of opening up.
The opposite is true, in fact there are entire fields of medicine and science (psychiatry and psychology) based on the power of talking. Talking opens up possibilities we never knew were there – it’s incredibly powerful.
How we can improve men’s mental health
Tackling gender stereotypes
Old stereotypes like men should be the breadwinner, should be tough, resilient and in control can prevent people from opening up.
We need to recognise that these are stereotypes and outdated. We should learn that resilience isn’t about being tough, resilience is recognising when something is wrong and doesn’t something about it.
Tackle toxic attitudes
Ideals like ‘man up’ and ‘boys’ don’t cry aren’t just unhelpful but can be really damaging because it spreads the idea that men shouldn’t talk about feelings or talk to someone when something is wrong.
The fact is that everyone has emotions and every cries, it’s completely normal and healthy. Your emotions are as valid as anyone else’s and pretending otherwise is just harmful to your health.
Look at how we cope with tough times
Men are more likely to use drink, drugs, and gambling to deal with their feelings. These things may provide a temporary sense of relief but in the long run make things worse.
We can put systems in place to help. This might be a short-term care plan, have a network of supportive people that we identify or look at the options for professional support – whether that’s the NHS, charities, charities, or our workplace employee assistance program.
Weekly Wellbeing Tip
Doing something nice for a person gives a boost to them and to us. Is there someone you can thank for helping you or simply being there for you? Maybe you could buy someone a meal or send a simple gift.
