Have you ever been browsing or scrolling for a while and then come across something that makes you feel as if the algorithm knows you a little too well? I’m finding that self-diagnosis is an increasingly common issue when it comes to mental health for this very reason.
That is its job, to get to know you and to offer you content that feels familiar and enticing. What content creators then aim to do is create what can only be described as ‘blanket content’. Content that feels as if it is aimed at you, but it can really appeal to a mass audience.
Kate Middleton has recently written an opinion piece in The Telegraph on the importance of mental health during a child’s early stages, especially in the first five years.
I use my platform personally to speak openly about how you can rework old habits, traumas and childhood issues to create a more positive future for yourself in adulthood. What the Princess of Wales is voicing is essentially stopping these issues from the root. This is absolutely true but I want to offer my perspective.
I’m touching on a delicate topic this week. I thought it was a little too delicate but then I thought, well, I shouldn’t ignore it for much longer. Princess Diana is all over my feeds and news again and her well-known mental health issues rooted in trauma, betrayal, deception and depression had to be looked over again in my eyes.
Let’s talk about men’s mental health month. As this rolls by each year, I’m always pondering how I can highlight why it’s so important.
Then I thought about a little project I have been working on for the last couple of months. My beard.
Movember is a fantastic way for men to raise money and also simply bring awareness to men’s mental health.
If one man growing his moustache is making another ask the question – why are you growing that thing? Then that starts one more conversation about it than yesterday.
But a moustache of all things. Why?
Have you heard the stereotype that men can’t find something unless it’s pointed out to them? Or if it’s right under their noses? It’s pretty profound when you really think about it. And I love this metaphor for it. Even if you do not agree with the stereotype, something on your face is a very effective way to bring awareness to others.
Have you heard that stereotype that many men can’t find something unless it is pointed out to them – or if it is right under their nose?
What’s this got to do with your beard though?
That’s a great question. As with many men getting comments on their moustaches, I have been getting constant comments on my beard for months.
My beard has unintentionally become a metaphor for what Movember is achieving and highlighting that it should be brought to our attention all year round.
Whilst we are discussing men’s mental health in November, we need to continue to talk about it. All the time. With anyone.
So many men I know had committed to their Movember sponsorship and then as December comes by, they say they ‘Might as well carry on growing it’.
Which is exactly the attitude we need. If you can do something to keep the conversation going, it’ll open up the conversation all year round.
So, what can I do about it?
There are small things that everyone can do. There are a surprising amount of men that I come across, from all walks of life, who make a passing comment that something is bothering them but they think they are the only ones with that issue.
Men are rife for having that urge to test the waters when talking about their feelings but don’t want to take the dive.
We can help by simply understanding that a lot of men are far more similar than they think and that would be common knowledge if we can all open up to each other. But I know it’s not that easy.
Even just relating a man’s issue with another you know of (with their permission) can open a whole new world for both of them where they think ‘maybe there are other men who will understand.’
Our feelings and emotions all come from a commonplace. Everyone’s life is unique, but everything can be rooted in a common issue that others have too.
This conversation is still rooted in a lot of fear, but a moustache can grow into a luscious beard, and so can the conversation if we let it happen.
I get asked multiple questions from people regarding what they should expect before starting therapy. Not only that, but what a therapist would expect from them.
After many years I have noticed a pattern of questions, so I want to settle a lot of myths once and for all.
Let’s talk about how we are mourning and what it means to us all. On 8th September 2022, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II passed away at 96 years old. No matter who or where you are, we can feel the world mourning.
Many are questioning what exactly we are mourning. She wasn’t a relative, she wasn’t a loved one, so what exactly are we feeling during this time?
