Women are more likely to experience depression and anxiety than men. However this does not dismiss that one average, 1 in 8 men will experience depression and 1 in 5 men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives.
And even though men are less likely to experience both, they are also less likely to talk about it, which increases the risk of their anxiety and/or depression going unrecognized and untreated.
I’m moving away from using the term mental health, because of the stigma surrounding it.
Stigma can often times lead to discrimination. And whether that looks like someone making a negative remark about a mental illness or treatment or perhaps avoiding someone because they might seem unstable or dangerous due to a mental illness, can all be harmful.
According to Mayo Clinic, there are several harmful effects of stigma towards mental health:
Reluctance to seek help or treatment
Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
Bullying, physical violence or harassment
Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover your mental illness treatment
The belief that you'll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve your situation
So instead of mental health, I prefer to call it mind health.
Mind health is a balanced mental and emotional state. When someone is able to nurture their mental and emotional bodies in ways that best support them, they’re able to achieve that very balance.
Below are 4 ways to achieve a balanced mind health.
Be aware of your thoughts and emotions, and how they affect you
Usually when an unwelcome thought or emotion comes up, it sits in our physical bodies. Usually people will feel a tightness in their throat, pain or discomfort in their chest or an ache in their stomach. Becoming aware of how these thoughts and emotions affect you can help you to understand what or where the stress is coming from and how that trigger manifests itself in your body. Once you’re able to draw an awareness, you’ll gradually be able to focus more deeply on what you can do to alleviate those emotions. Which takes us into number two…
Recognize and have healthy ways to cope with stressors when they arise
Now that you’ve recognized what your stressor is (work deadline, family dynamics, a disagreement with a significant other, bullies at school) what are your go to ways to alleviate that stress? For some it means slowing down and coming back to their inner selves. This can be achieved through practices such as meditation, breathwork or yoga. Others need to physically burn off the extra cooped up energy, so they’ll look to running or boxing. While others will choose to turn to someone they know and trust to converse with and have as a sounding board to help them navigate their thoughts. Number three…
Have strong relationships with people who are important in your life
For men in particular, only 7% of men discuss health issues with their male friends. And about 22% do not discuss private topics, such as health or relationships, with anyone. I cannot stress enough the importance of having people around that can hold a safe and supportive space for you to feel your feelings. Women do this really well, as they tend to have a number of friends on speed dial that they can turn to at any given point. I believe that this is why movements for men’s groups are on the up, because men are realizing that they too need that emotional support - outside of family, romantic partners. Whether these relationships be with friends that you can be open and vulnerable with, or perhaps a men’s groups with other like-minded men, seek out that support.
Regularly do things that are meaningful and compliment your interests
When we act out of love, the ripple effect of that love turns inward. Giving thought to some of your interests (community, adventure, collaboration) how can you live in them more fully and more thoughtfully? For example, if one of your passions is community, perhaps you can bring together a group of like-minded individuals to have raw conversations and hear each others stories. Creating a space for others that is valuable can help them to discover what’s meaningful