Men's Mental Health Week and the 'CAN DO' Challenge

This week was Men's Mental Health Week which was a way of highlighting mental health as we come out of the pandemic most notably men's. 

Why? 

I did some research into why it was important to speak up about men's mental health and some of the statistics were staggering. From an article I read from November 2020 (found here: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/m/men-and-mental-health) it stated: 

- Three times as many men as women die by suicide. 

- Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women according to Governments national well being survey. 

- Nearly three-quarters of adults who go missing are men. 

- Men ages 40-49 have the highest suicide rates in the UK. 

Without even knowing those horrific statistics I think it's fair to say there is a stigma around men's mental health. With the age old phrases like "Man up" and "Boys don't cry" it's no wonder so many men (especially from older generations) struggle to come forward with their mental health issues. They're made to feel their emotions make them less of a man or a person. This is why it's so important to validate everyone's mental health regardless of age or gender. While this was something I knew I wanted to look into it deeper. 

I then read Mind's article 'Man up? Getting more "men" into mental health' (available here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/man-up-getting-more-men-in-mental-health/). It reaffirmed my previous suspicions of why men struggle to come forward about their mental health. Again, the concept that they need to "Man up". Even in today's world there is still this stereotype that men have to represent strength and are still seen as the "hunter-gatherer" hero that shows no emotion or weakness. This is why I chose to take part in the 'CAN DO' Challenge. 

CAN DO Challenge 

The challenge was a way to encourage people to look after their mental health. This is done in 5 ways over 5 days and any that we liked we could just try and continue to do. CAN DO stands for. 

- Connect - connect with people (Monday)

- (Be) Active - move your body. (Tuesday)

- Notice - notice your environment. (Wednesday)

- Discover - learn something new. (Thursday)

- Offer - do something for some one else. (Friday)

I signed up and chose things I'd like to do or altered them to fit my goals. I chose the following and here are my results from it. 

Connect

Message 5 friends I haven't spoke to in a while

This was a lovely thing to do. I think we all take for granted sometimes how easy it is to message people but we don't always do it. I messaged 5 friends I hadn't chatted to in ages and it was wonderful to check in with them and see how they're doing. 

While it's easy to say 'They haven't messaged me so what's the point' sometimes people are just busy. I'm sure it would mean the world to them to know they're on your mind. I found it felt good to connect with others again and remind myself that despite this pandemic keeping me from seeing so many friends they're still there just a message away. 

(Be) Active 

Walk 5,000 steps in one day

Now unfortunately the day of this I had a nasty fall and badly hurt my leg so was off my target by the end. However, recently I have started going to the gym twice a week to keep myself active. I find it's not only great for me physically, because I'm keeping my body moving, but it does wonders for me mentally. If I feel stressed or anxious sometimes exercise really helps get all that pent up energy out. So while, unfortunately, I didn't complete this challenge it is something I have tried to incorporate into my life recently anyway and it's brilliant. 

Notice

Listen to 5 pieces of music

I'm very guilty of moving a lot or sitting down and scrolling mindlessly through my phone. This means I don't always take notice of the world around me. For this one I decided to sit down and just focus on 5 songs and really listen. They were all songs I've heard many many times before but taking a moment to just focus on the music rather than the outside world was a nice experience. Each song was so different but they reminded me how wide and interesting my music taste was and that I should stop and listen to music more often. It gave me time to just pause in my day and focus on something to let my mind relax. I might try this challenge again in the future as I felt it was a great way to ground myself and just stop and listen. Please enjoy my nice collage of the songs I listened to. 

Discover

Read everyday this week

I always aim to read before bed but often put it off for one reason or another but setting myself this challenge was wonderful. It meant I got further into the book I was reading and found how great it was. Reading or learning new things always gives me a spark of joy and I find reading is the perfect way for me to learn and relax at the same time. This is generally one I try to do in every day life but sometimes I have to take some advice from the previous challenge which is to notice and just focus on something else. The book I'm currently reading is 'The Binding' by Bridget Collins.

Offer 

Wear blue on Friday to support Men's Mental Health Week

My work colleagues and I decided to wear blue on the Friday in honour of the week. It wasn't anything huge but it was a way for me to look down at myself and remember why the week was so important. 

Mental health is something I'm very passionate about but I think I often forget there are people that don't always feel they should get help. For anyone reading this I want you to know your experiences and mental well-being are valid and important. Perhaps try some of the things from the challenge in your everyday life and see if they can help. 

The Men's Mental Health forum link - https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/can-do-challenge - for anyone who wants to read more on the week or about men's physical and mental health. 

There is also the mental health charity Mind which you can access through this: https://www.mind.org.uk/

A YouTuber to check out in my opinion is Gary C who has spoken bravely and openly about his journey with mental health (and he does lots of fun Disney content too if you'd like something uplifting): https://www.youtube.com/user/CheekT