Men talking – Picture credit Pexels.com
The hardest part about living with a mental health challenge?
Others can’t see it.
Broken limb?
We wear a plaster cast.
Feeling broken down?
We need to start talking.
Being vulnerable.
Opening up about the hurt.
Inviting someone to support us.
In person, or online.
In confidence.
In our own interests (and for the sake of our loved ones).
It is always a good time to talk.
Today is International Men’s Day.
The theme for 2020 is, Better Health For Men And Boys.
From my experience of life’s ups and downs (including depression in the early 2000s), I figure we can do better when it comes to mental health.
I haven’t known many people to take their own lives, but all those I’ve been aware of to die in this way were men.
In 2019 men accounted for 3 out of 4 UK suicides.
Men can bottle things up until the burden they are carrying seems too much to handle. That is when things can get grim.
Talking about the feelings we are carrying around helps.
Talking to a trusted family member, supportive friend, or skilled therapist.
Talking until the burden starts to get smaller.
Let’s talk more this year, so more men can enjoy better mental health and take the chance of inspiring the next generation to do the same.
(Picture credit Linkedin Sales Navigator at Unsplash)
Time To Talk About Health And Wellbeing (Picture Credit Pexels dot com)
A new year means we can take stock and make time to change our lives. We can make time to pursue goals that improve our work performance and our life outside the 9 to 5. So, this is a great time to talk about improving our (mental and physical) health and well-being.
With life being a hectic mix of commitments and claims on our time, it is important we practice self-care. Doing that helps us care for customers, colleagues and community too. Here are 3 good reasons that show how time devoted to self-care helps us reduce the pressure that contributes to mental health difficulties:
Connection
No one achieves all their goals alone. We are social beings and when we help others we are keeping the door open to ask for help for ourselves. By being part of a healthy community or team, we are investing in our own well-being.
Protection
When we respect our own boundaries, we make self-care a priority. When we make time for ourselves we can be calmer than when we are overwhelmed by others’ requests for our time.
Reflection
The time we earmark for ourselves is the resource we can devote to reviewing our goals, forming support networks and sharing the benefits of our personal growth with loved ones and friends.
How Will You Use This Knowledge?
Thanks for reading this post. I hope it makes a difference to your performance this week. What is your secret for safeguarding your mental well-being during a busy time at work? Add your comment and deepen this conversation.
Feel free to add a Like too if this has been a useful discussion and please share this post with someone who could benefit from reading it.
Thanks Roger
Experience Your Life 