5 Tips For Men To Help Deal With Mental Health
The situations that are driving many of the mental health challenges of men from depression to suicide have been around forever. Mental health itself has been a problem for as far back as individuals can recall. All of us have had some form of a situation that has made us depressed, questionable and even wanting to just give up on the things that we were pursuing, fighting to get through or even success that we have earned or been given. I, myself, have found many different ways of dealing with circumstances and situations that have presented themselves that I wasn’t quite ready for. I hope to highlight a few different tips to help individuals, in particular men, get through some of these rough moments that can be challenging to cope with. Over the years I’ve read more and more about how suicide rates of men have continued to grow without any real understanding as to why.
Many different cultures begin by planting the wrong seeds in the minds of boys and young men as we are being molded and grow into adulthood. That seed many times deals with minimizing the communication of something being wrong when something is truly wrong. We have always been told to figure it out when we are met with a challenge or obstacle in life. As I got older, I realized that there were so many wrongs about this approach to dealing with life and things that come with it that can create more problems than solutions. You hear things such as, “suck it up,” “figure it out,” “men don’t complain,” “stop being weak,” and so much more. It’s very unfortunate that we have these statements, amongst tons more planted inside of us in some form or fashion when we’re young. We aren’t necessarily given alternative ways of looking at challenges in life nor are we given alternative verbiage to promote positive mindsets with life and it’s dealings that cause us to look at things in a more overcoming way. Below I am going to list several coping tips that have helped me deal with some of the challenges and unforeseen circumstances that life will throw at you unexpectantly.
Understand Your Value
Many of us spend more time self-criticizing our existence and pointing out more of the right things of others than we do the positive things within ourselves. You have to start being more uplifting of ourselves and willing to highlight our personal successes and accomplishments. You are worth so much more than what society at times will make you believe you are worth. It’s nothing wrong with speaking aloud about how great you are. That type of mindset will help you to keep yourself motivated and positive about the position of life that you may be in. With that understanding of the value and what you are able to accomplish you will leave yourself in a better mindset, even thru the transitions of life that may come in not the most positive way. You should be your greatest motivator, even in the most difficult of times. It’s not necessarily going to be easy but it is definitely possible.
Ways that you are able to reiterate your importance to yourself while continuing to evolve in your life through even the most difficult circumstances are:
- Take time to journal — journaling allows you to capture your thoughts and ideas on paper, which can be a reference in the future for you
- When a negative thought comes into your mind, quickly think of how it could be turned into a positive and beneficial one
- Remind yourself that you too are a piece of this puzzle of life and contribute something valuable to it
There are so many additional reasons for you to be able to express your value to yourself and those that are around you.
Take Care of Your Body
Many times we believe that the solutions lie only in the external actions that we have when dealing with mental health issues such as depression or worse. The reality is that one good way that we can take promote strong and evolving mental health is by taking care of our bodies in a number of ways. For instance, exercise helps to decrease depression and anxiety. By exercising daily in some form or fashion you can help to improve your mood. Even a simple walk for 15–30 minutes can be helpful in evolving through your mental health roadblock. Eating nutritious meals are also a way to make sure that you are taking proactive measures in having positive mental health and wellness. Water, water, water. Drinking plenty of water helps with keeping a positive mental health relationship with your body. As we know, the body follows where the mind goes. However, if we nurture the body then it is more readily prepared to go where the mind is willing to lead it. At the same time, hydrating is just as good for the mind as it is for the body, so drink lots of water.
As men, we have a tendency to believe that we are indestructible at times; clearly, this isn’t true. However, we have been taught to, again, suck it up and keep going. Many times we tend to ignore the simple signs that we get when our bodies are telling us enough is enough. Though I’m not a believer in the curing or treatment practices of western medicine, I do believe that it is key and important in the diagnosis process. That’s just my personal outlook on medicine. I am a holistic practitioner in my personal existence of life and try my best to make very conscious and all-natural decisions when it comes to taking care of my body. It took several years into adulthood for me to understand the importance of not holding on to this false mindset of being indestructible. I’m glad I finally got beyond that.
Keep Good Company
Strong families usually lead to the ability to create strong associations and friendships with others that you come into contact with. This is very key to having a support system that will be both understanding and helpful when you may need them to be. An important thing when it comes to keeping good company is knowing when those individuals are truly for themselves versus being for the betterment of you. Not all people are bad people, however, not all individuals you may encounter are looking out for your best interest either. Just be aware of whos who and why some people are genuinely in your life at the moment.
It’s Ok To Break The Routine
We’re human, so we get into habits and routines that we have been accustomed to over our lifetime. Many times we do that because we believe that they are best for us since we’ve been practicing them for years. In reality, many times, they are not good for us and we fall into this complacency that is more damaging than helpful. So how do we get out of these bad habits? Well, it’s simply getting out of the routine of the things that we are comfortable doing because it’s what we’ve always done. For instance, waking up earlier than what we are used to can prove to be beneficial to our daily functionality. It will show us that we have the ability to possibly get more done throughout our day. By getting up earlier incorporate different and new routines into this newfound time that you’ve created for yourself. Take a walk, read a book, journal, or do some other uplifting activity. My father used to tell me that we are only given 24 hours in a day and if we aren’t up by the time the sun comes up we’re just wasting the day away. I still chuckle when I hear this but I understand more now what it means than I did as a child.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
I had the hardest time getting to the point in which I was ok asking people for assistance with things that I was struggling with. It was made to seem as if that was the wrong thing to do as I eluded to earlier in the article. Though many of us men don’t feel like there is an outlet for us that is not going to judge us, we have to understand that there are. There are people that understand the struggles that men and people, in general, go through and furthermore, understand that helping someone without making them feel like they are “less than” is very important. When an individual feels as if they are a burden on others, many times they shut down. I believe the way that we get beyond this challenge is by opening the communication on the topic of mental health. Let’s start making it clear that it is ok to talk about the battles that are going on in our heads. Not just for men but also for children, women, people in the LGBTQ community. Let’s discuss that the outlets are more than just church and counselors, though they serve as great resources. Sometimes the best comforting and understanding comes from those that see us every day, that understand who we are and what we are truly going thru because we speak with them about it in passing at times. Our immediate circles that we hope don’t judge us but gives us words of encouragement and hope. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for the help that we deeply seek for ourselves and others from those closely intertwined with our existence.
Overall, I believe that a few of the tips above are just starting points for not just only men, but for women and children as well. Please share ways in which you help to deal with things when you find yourself met with challenges from life.
