This men’s day let us break the stigma! We do not see men talking about their mental health and this is why we see an alarming rate of male suicides. Men all over the world, of all races, classes, and strata, are hesitant to seek psychological help and openly discuss their problems because they are expected to “man up.”
According to WHO, more men die because of suicide twice than females. And high-income countries have the highest suicide rate.
6 million males are affected every year due to depression, but most of them go undiagnosed. Compared to women, men do not seek help, and this leads to a higher suicide rate. There has been a lot of research on it and trying to figure out the reason why and the primary reason is men do not share their experiences to protect the masculine image they have in front of society.
Men might have different symptoms
This men’s day let us have a better understanding of the scenario. Men tend to show different symptoms as compared to women. Males going through depression are more likely to behave aggressively and show irritability. They showcase their feelings, which are more accepted by society.
The symptoms of depression can be physical as well, like a racing heart, digestive issues, or headaches. And they are likely to visit a physician rather than a psychologist.
Better education can help in keeping the foundation
It all starts with quality education that will help break the stigma regarding the mental health of men.
- Research: different research and campaigns all over the world are helping in breaking down the stigma around men’s mental health.
- Community-based programs: these types of programs help in healing men better in a social environment. Especially for older people when they feel lonely community-based programs can help them a lot.
- Better communication environment: many times, a healthy conversation can help in many ways. So, make sure you communicate with your family, and friends on regular basis to help them in any difficult situation.
What can I do if I am worried about my mental health?
- You do not have to all the tasks at a single time. Do your tasks step by step to navigate them better.
- Talk to someone if you feel overwhelmed.
- If you are getting restless, try to take professional help that will take you out of the situation and help you get better.
- Many organizations and sites provide help for the same. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/get-help
- Make sure you are taking a proper diet and sleeping.
- Do not bottle up your emotions.
What can I do if I see someone struggling with mental health?
- Give them comfort, and tell them you are there to listen to them whenever they need.
- If someone is going through some difficulties regarding mental health, it might be difficult for them to reach out to anyone. You should keep in touch with them through messages, calls, or anything suitable for you.
- Find out the local therapy and support groups that will help the concerned person.
- Assure and reassure them to get any help. Tell them it is okay to for help from others.
- Take care of yourself as well, taking care of someone who is struggling can be overwhelming too. So, make sure you are keeping well to keep someone else well.
How you can help as an organization?
It is your responsibility as an organization to create a healthy and helpful environment for your employees. There are many ways wherein you can help your employees be in a good mental state, like:
- If you see someone’s productivity declining, do not make assumptions and ask the concerned person how he/she is keeping up these days with everything.
- You can appoint a designated person for this job; a psychiatrist or counselor who can help your employees.
- Create an atmosphere wherein your employees are comfortable talking about such issues. In your review meetings, you can ask your employees if they are keeping well and is something they need help with.
- You can arrange seminars once in three months, to promote employees to prioritize their mental health. The concerned person can take a Q&A session afterward to address everyone’s problems.
- You should also offer flexible scheduling for the employees. Often employees are all burnt out because of the extreme work stress, so flexible scheduling will help them maintain a good work-life balance.
- You must also evaluate the offerings you are giving to your employees. Often financial instability also contributes to the bad mental health of the employees.
How can LMS help you?
If you are planning to have seminars, LMS will help you build better and easy courses. You can arrange online seminars, cohort courses, or daily lessons to help your employees with their mental health.
You can also incorporate gamification into your courses to keep your employees interested.
You can also call experts, speakers, and guest lecturers for your sessions.
Man-up!
Man- up doesn’t mean being strong and never giving up. A man can be gentle and weak too. So, this Men’s Day, let us recognize that men, like women, can be vulnerable and need assistance. With this article, on the occasion of Men’s Day we have tried to ignite awareness regarding the stigma surrounding mental health.
We have also come up with an excellent opportunity for all the men. Share your unique stories with us and get a chance to be featured on our LinkedIn page.
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