Just because we are hearing more about Men's mental health, it doesn’t necessarily make it any easier when we’re struggling in the moment, as what do we do about it?
With suicide being the biggest killer of our men under the age of 45, costing us 84 of our men each week in the UK. It is time we looked further into whether suicidal thoughts or feeling bad about ourselves have crept up on you or maybe you’ve been hoping the thoughts will go away if you just keep pushing them away. At times we all experience moments when our mental health feels like it's on the decline. But what can we do about it? How can we start looking after ourselves when we recognise the signs that our mental health may be spiralling out of our control?
Being honest with our 'selves'
Acknowledging how we are feel is a great step to coping, when we feel overwhelmed. It can be easy to dismiss early warning signs, many of us keep pushing how we feel away – If I can just get to the end of the day or finish this piece of work, I won’t feel so bad. If I can just make it to Friday, I won’t feel so stressed. If I just focus on something happier, I won’t need to think about how I’m feeling now. Yet ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away.
It can be tough, but try and take a moment to step aside and ask yourself: how am I really doing or what am i really feeling? How many times when asked how are you, do you reply I’m fine or I can’t complain. Talking about how we are feeling can help us to stay in good mental health, to better cope and deal with times when we are feeling overwhelmed, and to strengthen our support network around us. When we are honest with ourselves, we can learn to be honest with other too, meaning we learn to communicate better with the people who matter in our lives. This gives your support network the chance to respond and a much better chance of you getting your needs met.
How does being honest sound?
Sharon Davitt MBACP Integrative Counsellor
Witham Therapy Room
www.withamtherapyroom.co.uk