It's OK to Talk: A Practical Guide to Mental Health for Men

Product Information

Andy’s Man Club is a mens suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend, peer-to-peer support groups across the UK. Taking regular breaks is really important for wellbeing. If you’re having a difficult moment, taking a step away from your current environment can help you to find some calm and perspective. And you might find things like breathing exercises, meditation or mindfulness can help your mental health and build resilience. Done is better than perfect Asking yourself a question you can’t answer won’t magically help you find the correct response, of course. It can help you take a second look at whatever you’re trying to do or want to understand. This can help you figure out your next step. Whatever it was, I was a man who did his best to avoid showing ‘weakness’. Weakness was dangerous. Weakness could get you hurt. I believed that showing my emotions was the biggest weakness. So I bottled them up, pushed them aside and left them to be dealt with another day.

Instead of trying to puzzle something out yourself, consider chatting to a co-worker or classmate instead. Two heads are better than one, or so the saying goes. You might even make a new friend. Distract your mouth If you’re grappling with difficult emotions, talking through them can help you explore them more carefully. On Sunday 15th, Mat was joined by James, a group facilitator for Andy’s Man Club to talk about Men’s Mental Health.I know first-hand it isn’t easy to talk. As boys, we were raised to not show emotions, not show vulnerability, to bottle things up and to get on with it. Don’t cry. Toughen up. Don’t act like a girl. Don’t talk about your feelings. Inclusion is about allowing people to be themselves at work, and embracing everyone’s differences. It’s not just about minorities, gender or sexual orientation – it’s about accepting and respecting everyone for who they are. And that includes mental health. Andy’s Man Club says it’s #ITSOKTOTALK, there are many pressures on men from society, from telling men to “Man Up” or trying to fit in as ‘one of the lads’ to some cultures teaching young men that it’s weak to ask for help. Talking to yourself, especially when stressed or trying to figure something out, can help you examine your feelings and knowledge of the situation. But this won’t do much good if you don’t actually listen to what you have to say.

By now, you probably feel a little better about talking to yourself. And self-talk certainly can be a powerful tool for boosting mental health and cognitive function. This poster isn't exhaustive. It doesn’t say everything that needs to be said. It's not an induction either, but perhaps it might become part of one. (We're working on a new induction process, something we've needed to do for ages. More on that another time.) The absorber, truncater, stripper and reconstituter of information that was previously confusing for the rest of us yet, in his grasp, is reduced into something not just meaningful but compelling too. But over time it started to not only make sense, but also grow as a thought of such immense power that it would become the focal point for all of BT’s consumer advertising.If you listen to a ‘typical’ conversation of a group of men, you might hear discussion about general health or illness; flu and stomach bugs, or even sporting injuries… yet you probably won’t hear talk of mental health. So when you see the #itsokaytotalk photos popping up on your social networks, join the conversation. The common perception is that creativity is an expansionist process, with the artist adding layer on layer of depth and subtlety, ultimately creating something of such profundity and wonder that we, the creatively stifled, can do little more than marvel at it.

http://selfcontrol.psych.lsa.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/KrossJ_Pers_Soc_Psychol2014Self-talk_as_a_regulatory_mechanism_How_you_do_it_matters.pdf From hugs to a simple ‘hello’, I was inspired to learn of how you are connecting with people in their moment of need.” Explaining processes to yourself aloud can help you see solutions and work through problems, since it helps you focus on each step. We think it’s extra important to remember you’re always allowed to talk about what you’re feeling – even at work. It’s ok to not be ok Our dedicated equality and diversity team, our H&R Hub - and your colleagues - are all available to lend their support to you, confidentially and respectfully.

The basis of reciprocating confidences was that the exchange of ‘confidences’ between human beings leads to better communications and, in turn, deeper relationships. Some emotions and experiences are so deeply personal that you might not feel up to sharing them with anyone, even a trusted love one, until you’ve done a little work with them first. But it also had to be an idea big enough to house the vast array of BT’s products and services, as well as build as a campaign. Individual call stimulation successes wouldn’t be enough.

Staggeringly 18–54 years old men are most likely to take their own lives, that’s 2 in 5 people – with men making up 75% of the all suicides in the UK. Across the world, the facts speak clearly: men aren’t going to the doctor soon enough. They’re not comfortable talking about their health and their feelings. They struggle in silence, or take action too late. After months of intensive work, Adrian and Norman Strauss, an outstanding brand strategist, had triumphantly informed the team of senior BT executives that they weren’t really in the telephony business. Conversations really do help men stay mentally healthy and we know there is a close association with suicide and poor mental health. It’s time for men everywhere to break their silence and to recognise the key to overcoming some of the biggest problems is to start talking.The authors suggest this works because hearing the name of the item reminds your brain what you’re looking for. This helps you visualize it and notice it more easily. It can help you stay focused promoting the support that is already available for GDS staff – like the Cabinet Office’s confidential listening service, and counselling and resources available through the employee assistance programme If you slip up, try not to feel embarrassed. Even if you don’t notice it, most people do talk to themselves, at least occasionally.