Too many of us are suffering in silence, so here are some powerful men’s mental health tips to help you combat anxiety and cultivate a healthy mind.
Are you struggling with anxiety? Do you suffer long periods of depression and withdrawal? Are you disappointed with your life? There are many signs and symptoms of mental health problems that us men simply ignore.
A great stigma surrounds men’s mental health, and few of us are given the tools we need to cope with mental health issues. We don’t like to talk about it, so we lock things away, and just get on with it.
While that can work in easy times, when we’re young, strong and healthy, in times of chaos, it isn’t much use. We need skills to manage our mental health and support to guide us through troubled waters.
There are many steps we can take to combat mental illness and cultivate mental health. Some of them are simple daily practices that are good for body, mind and spirit. Others are serious interventions that we should be aware of in times of need.
10 men’s mental health tips
Here are some powerful men’s mental health tips that you can put into practice today:
Meditate daily
Meditation (and other deep breathing exercises) helps to calm us down in stressful situations. It focuses the mind and stimulates the relaxation response, which decreases our breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure.
Through regular practice we learn to observe our thoughts and feelings without reacting to them, or amplifying them further. We can let them pass, like clouds in the sky, and make decisions from a state of calm.
You can learn how to meditate, the benefits of meditation, and a beginners body scan meditation here with Ten Bulls. Start with just two minutes a day and progress from there.
Exercise daily
Regular exercise benefits our physical health and our mental health. It increases circulation, lung capacity and heart health. It strengths muscles and bones and releases feel good hormones that reduce feelings of stress and anger.
Exercise can be vigorous, but it can also be soft. Both have their place within a holistic lifestyle.
Find a handful of activities that you enjoy and do some everyday. Walk, jog, sprint, push, pull, squat, bend and twist. Play football, rugby, martial arts, basketball, golf or tennis. Find your flow through Yoga or Tai Chi. Do whatever you like, as long as you’re moving and having fun doing it.
Get closer to nature
Many of our troubles are exacerbated by the cramped, crowded, and noisy environments we live and work in. The chaos and overstimulation of city life can make us feel stressed and anxious.
We are natural beings that thrive in natural surroundings. We need fresh air, sunlight and the gentle sights and sounds of nature to feel calm and centred. Sleeping and waking in tune with sunset and sunrise is also important for our health.
Walk through a park, or forest, nearby every day if you can. Sit by a water fountain, or watch ducks gliding across a pond, while you enjoy your lunch. Get away to the countryside whenever possible. Staying close to nature and pausing to appreciate nature will bring you peace of mind.
Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku) is a cherished Japanese practice that is believed to reduce stress, elevate mood and promote wellbeing. Give it a try and see if you can integrate it with meditation, mindfulness and movement practice.
Learn to understand and manage your feelings
We all feel anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, doubt, loneliness and depression to varying degrees, but we don’t often take the time to understand the root cause of these feelings and the signals they are sending us.
It’s not wrong, or stupid, or weak to feel the way we do. It’s being human.
If we can observe our feelings without judgement or criticism, we can learn to understand them better. If we are kind to ourselves, we are free to express ourselves.
Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings. Put a name to things and explore what may have led to this. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it can be very helpful.
Talk to someone you trust
Every Friday night I meet up with some of my closest friends and we talk. We talk about health, sports, business, money, and politics. We share goals and aspirations, fears and failures, and we put the world to rights.
These talks have endured many years and many shifts in our lives. Health issues, business challenges, a global pandemic, and the loss of our parents. Through peaks and troughs, celebration and tears, we’ve kept on talking.
It’s just some blokes around a table, but the value is immense.
When you hear someone else’s story, yours doesn’t seem so bad. When they hear yours, it helps put their troubles in perspective. Talking can help change your feelings about a situation.
If you have someone to talk with, make it a regular thing. If you don’t, find a therapist or councillor near you who can listen. Opening up is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to men, but it can make a massive difference in our lives.
Learn how to manage your money
Money issues, unemployment and debt are some of the biggest causes of mental illness in men. It can be incredibly stressful trying to meet our expenses every month, whether we live alone, or have a family to support.
Life can throw all kinds of curve balls that make it difficult to pay the bills, so talking about money and learning how to manage our finances is key to supporting our mental health.
Some simple steps to take include:
- Talking about money
- Good accounting practices
- Building up an emergency fund
- Looking for ways to increase your earnings
- Living below your means
- Avoiding hot tips and risky business ideas
- Staying out of debt/tackling debt head on
While money troubles can make us feel incapable, unreliable and isolated, good money habits can make us feel empowered and in control.
Make art
Many people have been brave enough to share their mental health struggles through art and various media. Writing a song, or telling a story, is a cathartic process, that helps us recognise and release what’s building up inside.
Whether we publish it to the world, or leave it on our hard drive, the making of art can be great for us. It can also be life changing/saving for others who are suffering a similar reality.
Yesterday morning (07.08.22), Christian Henson, the British Composer and founder of Spitfire Audio, released a personal account of Burnout. He talks sensitively about his mental health and the changes he’s recently made to improve his life.
One of my favourite songs in recent years is Dead Boys by Sam Fender. The powerful message born out of painful personal experience hits you right in the gut, while the pace and energy of the track picks you right back up again.
Another brilliant song is 1-800-273-8255 by Logic. It’s deeply moving, and the message is profound. The track title was actually the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now 988).
If you’re struggling to understand what’s happening, and you can’t say it with words, maybe a song, a short-film, or a painting is the way to express yourself. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you think it is, it’s the making that matters.
Plan things to look forward to
Hopelessness can descend whenever we have nothing to look forward to. When we have nothing to live for, what’s the point?
It’s a dangerous, but all too common, mindset to slip into.
Having something to look forward to can help us cope with difficult situations. Anything we enjoy that’s in the diary, is a light ahead, that we move towards with anticipation.
It could be a trip, a concert, a class or a family dinner. Make plans and create a positive future for yourself.
Seek help
If you think you or a loved one are experiencing signs of mental illness there are therapists, counsellors and resources you can turn to for help.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It’s commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but extends to other mental health issues also. Find a CBT Therapist near you.
Mind is a mental health charity in the UK that offers information and advice for those suffering with mental health issues. You can browse their database of articles and if you’re in distress, hit the “Get help now” button for helplines and emergency advice.
The Samaritans 24/7 hotline provides compassion and support for those who are lonely, desperate, and experiencing distress. If you are suffering, or feel like you want to die, tell someone.
988 Lifeline is available throughout the United States to offer free, 24/7, support and mental health crises services for people in distress.
Put ideas into action
Most of these men’s mental health tips are well documented and fall under the category of ‘basic common sense’, but it’s not the knowing that counts, it’s the doing. We must DO these things in order to cultivate a healthy mind and prevent mental illness.
If you feel anxious and you don’t bring your breathing under control, you will continue to feel anxious. If you are sleep deprived and continue to stay up beyond midnight each night, you will continue to be sleep deprived. If you need to talk to someone, but don’t, you will accumulate more internal pressure than you can cope with.
Mental health is a sensitive issue for men, but if we take our time and build up our positive habits, one by one, we can do a lot of good for our minds. If we seek help when we need it, and keep talking, we’ll be far more resilient throughout life.
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Featured Image: @kalvisuals
Read more
The Beginner’s Guide to Mental Health
Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health
The Best Books on Mental Health