It has come to my attention that it is Men’s Health Week (almost). How Wonderful! A week that is dedicated to men and their health! Wait… I started doing my usual research on the topic at hand and I found major gaps in the information provided.
It seems that Men’s Health Week is centred around disease prevention and psychical fitness. Great, really great, but I’m 100% sure that the definition of health from the Merriam Webster dictionary includes three different simple definitions. The first reads, “the condition of being well or free from disease”. Men’s Health Week can check that definition off the list! YES, nailed it. The second simple definition reads, “the overall condition of someone’s body or mind,” and the third states,”the condition or state of something”. The last two definitions are where I become concerned because both are only partially touched on by most media outlets that are offering information available about this special week.
How can we possibly celebrate a whole week when half of the equation is almost completely left out? Are men superhuman? Is it possible that managing psychological well-being is just not a thing for men? I will take an educated guess and say, no.
This is where our society needs a swift kick in the butt and to be fair, changes are happening around what it means to be “masculine” because more men are saying that they don’t fit into the typical male prototype. I have encountered a number of men who struggle to find where they fit into the conversation around manliness, emotions and vulnerability. Though statistics show, clients of cognitive behavioural therapists show similar improvements regardless of gender.
Thank goodness, there are places that are addressing men’s mental health and some resources for men online. Statistics in 2015 show that in Canada, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women. This is why we need to get talking. I am a woman so why do I care about this week so much? Because we need to encourage a more healthy and comfortable society for everyone and stop treating men like robots and women like emotional wrecks.
How can we support men’s mental health?
This can be done man to man, or woman to man. Just start the conversation. Here are some questions/actions to consider…
Genuinely ask a man questions about his overall well-being.
Get curious about how he manages his stressors and emotional wellness.
Listen.
Ask about his cultural experiences. What messages was he told that he accepts, rejects, or struggles with?
What messages did he receive from other men that were helpful or perhaps harmful?
What messages did he receive from women that have helped or harmed him?
Consider resources together should he feel interested in finding groups to support him, his expression of masculinity, or his interests that are unique to him!
Ask how you can you offer him support in a way that works for him.
For more information or resources, feel free to be in touch!