Mental Health Insights

Our annual Sock it to Stigma campaign is back this month and seeks to raise awareness about the stigma associated with mental health and the damage that stigma can cause.

Stigma around mental health still prevents many people from seeking the help and support they need. We must all take personal responsibility to create the kind of culture which encourages people to speak up, which allows them to feel safe in doing so. – Peter Wingrove, Shawmind CEO

Here are 3 simple ways you can actively fight mental health stigma and make it easier for people to seek the help they need.

Talk about mental health

Stigma around mental health stems from it feeling like a taboo subject. Normalise mental health by talking openly and honestly about it whenever an opportunity presents itself.

There is no obligation to share anything you feel is too personal, but simply acknowledging that you (or someone you know) has struggled with mental health at times can help others who are struggling to feel supported.

You can also take charge and start conversations yourself to help others open up, gain valuable insight and show people that it’s ok to talk about mental health.

Not sure how to start a conversation? Try these:

I’ve felt really down lately, has anyone else felt like this? And if so, what helped you feel better?

I was reading an article about workplace health in the UK the other day, and presenteeism – i.e. people avoiding taking time off for mental health – can actually cost companies massive amounts in the long run! Would you ever take time off for your mental health?

Stigma can be present both internally and externally – mental health support groups can be a great way to combat both. Support groups can give you a space to talk away from the stigmas you may face in your normal environment and being around those in a similar situation can help you to question your own beliefs and stigmas that may be holding you back from getting more help.

Educate yourself and others

With a lack of knowledge and understanding comes misjudgement and fear, i.e. stigma. One of the most powerful ways you can help to fight mental health stigma is to educate yourself and others.

Speak up when someone stigmatises mental health – especially if they do it unknowingly. Have a conversation with them about why their stigma against mental health is harmful and how they can be more conscious in the future.

Ask questions when you don’t understand or want to learn more. Everyone has mental health, but everyone experiences it slightly differently. If someone has an experience with mental health that is different to yours or different to what you would expect, ask them about it and learn from each other to form a well-rounded and more inclusive knowledge of mental health.

Take mental health training. There are lots of mental health courses available from workplace CPD qualifications, to online knowledge fillers and even mental health first aid training. Formal mental health training like this can help you learn from experienced professionals and leave you feeling more confident when dealing with mental health and educating others.

All proceeds from the Shawmind mental health courses go to our #Headucation campaign to support children’s mental health and stop stigma early on.

Read about mental health – whether it’s guides, personal stories, or scientific papers – it all helps to build up your knowledge. Check out Trigger’s library of mental health books for ages and interests!

Re-evaluate how you perceive mental health

Every change starts with you. To fight mental health stigma, you first have to evaluate how you perceive mental health and if stigma is affecting your behaviour in any way.

Think about the language you use when talking about mental health? Is it mostly negative or positive? If you only ever negatively discuss mental health then you will be more likely to associate mental health with negativity and contribute to the stigma surrounding it. It’s important to remember that mental health can be positive and negative so you should talk about both aspects equally.

Next, you should evaluate how you treat mental health compared to physical health. Do you take time off for mental health in the same way you would with the flu? Do you tell yourself the same things when you have poor mental health as when you have poor physical health? E.g. people frequently tell themselves (and others) to “just get on with” and to “try to be more positive” when they’re struggling with mental health whereas if they had a physical health problem like a broken leg, they’d probably tell them to get help as soon as possible.

By approaching mental health with the same attitude as we do for physical health, we can reach a point where they are both discussed openly and honestly without fear of judgement and beat the stigma around mental health.

Stigma is one of the biggest factors that prevent people from seeking help and talking about their mental health. Our #SockItToStigma campaign aims to get workplaces talking about mental health in a safe, non-judgmental environment to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health. All funds raised during this campaign go straight to our #Headucation fund to support children with mental health and stop stigma before it can start.

Find out how your workplace or your school can get involved with #SockItToStigma 2022 or donate now to support children’s mental health and stop stigma in its tracks.

What is grief?

Grief describes the feelings you get when losing something important to you – it can be a person, an animal, an item, or a concept.

Grief affects people in different ways and at different levels depending on the circumstances of the loss (e.g. those who have experienced a bereavement may feel more intense grief than those who have lost their job) but all grief is valid.

Common feelings that occur due to grief include helplessness, sadness, anger, guilt, and exhaustion.

Types of grief

Grief is often associated with the moment immediately after the loss of something or someone loved, but there are two other main types of grief you may also experience.

• Anticipatory grief – the feelings you get in the lead up to a loss or death e.g. with a terminal health condition
• Secondary loss – the feelings when you experience something you want to share with your loved one but cannot due to the original loss

How does grief impact mental health?

The way that you feel while grieving can be very similar to depression with feelings of extreme sadness and low mood for an extended time. It’s not unusual for those who have experienced loss or bereavement to develop a mental health condition in the future.

Grief can feel constant, overwhelming, and painful which can make the experience even more difficult for those with existing mental health challenges to carry on with their day-to-day life.

As with any mental health experience, grief works on a spectrum. You will likely have some days that are better than others – here are our tips for looking after your mental health no matter what level of grief you are feeling.

How can you look after mental health through grief?

Identify your triggers

It’s important for both your initial grieving period and any secondary loss you may feel later to identify what triggers your feelings. While they may not always be avoidable, by identifying what they are you can prepare yourself for difficult situations and develop healthy ways to cope.

Give yourself a break

As we’ve mentioned, the emotions you feel during the grieving process can be overwhelming making it difficult to perform at the same level you normally would. At times like this the mantra “something is better than nothing” can be a good way to stay motivated without pushing yourself too far. Each day, set smaller tasks for yourself to achieve. E.g. cleaning the whole house may feel like too big a task to take on – but making your bed is ‘better’ than doing nothing at all which can make you feel more positive.

Talk to someone

Talking can be incredibly helpful after a loss as it helps you come to terms with the experience, express your emotions, and get advice from others.

Talk to others involved in the loss

Talking to those who have also been affected by the loss will help you to understand how they feel and vice versa. Being ‘in it together’ can make it feel easier to cope since you can support each other and understand your current feelings in a way few others can.

Talk to a friend or family member

Talking to those around you can be a good way to let them know how you’re feeling and what support you need. They may also be able to provide you with advice and guidance from their own experiences or offer support in areas that you feel too overwhelmed to handle.

Talk to a professional

Talking to a professional can help you learn techniques to process and manage your grief. Or you may choose to talk to a professional if you don’t want to share (some or all of) your feelings with those around you. You can talk to a therapist or contact a charity organisation for support.

• The Good Grief Trust
• Grief Encounter
• Samaritans

Get more sleep

Sleep is essential for positive mental health – a lack of it is likely to make you feel worse. If you can, sleep as often as possible and don’t worry about whether it’s 3 AM or 3 PM, or if you’re sleeping for 7 hours at a time or for 1 hour 7 times! If you still have to stick to a normal sleeping schedule, check out these tips for getting better sleep from Wellity.

Look after your physical health

Many studies have shown a link between exercise and positive mental health – when you exercise your body releases endorphins that make you feel good. Nobody expects you to run a marathon while grieving – small activities like a 10 minute walk or a quick morning stretch can help.

Avoid substances

Substances like alcohol and drugs can make any existing feelings of low mood worse (particularly those that are classed as depressants). While some people use substances to ‘escape’ their feelings at that moment, it can often make it harder to cope in the long term. Consistent use of substances at a time like this can also lead to addiction. It is common for teens and young adults to turn to drugs and alcohol while grieving if they are not receiving sufficient support from elsewhere.

Learn from others

Everyone is going to experience grief at some point in their lives which means that everyone has an experience to share. Learning about those experiences can help you come to terms with your own loss, pick up coping techniques, and find healthy ways to manage grief.

Talk to your friends, watch interviews or read books about grief and loss.

One child in every classroom will experience the loss of a loved one before age 16. Grief can be incredibly difficult for children to cope with, we want to make it easier. Our Headucation campaign aims to provide fully-funded mental health training to teachers to support children and young people through difficult circumstances. Help us by buying our products, registering for our training courses or donating directly to our campaign.

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Get in touch

As we near Christmas, many people may be excited about the prospect of spending time with loved ones – but for others, the festive season can intensify pre-existing feelings of loneliness or trigger feelings unique to this time of year.

45% of England’s population, around twenty-five million people, report feelings of loneliness throughout the year. These feelings often increase around Christmas if you find yourself spending it alone due to the loss of a loved one, travel limitations, or limited social activities to take part in.

Alongside the effects loneliness can have on your physical health (e.g. risk of stroke and high blood pressure), research has shown that loneliness can also be a risk factor for depression, especially in later life. Social interactions significantly support positive mental health and give us opportunities to give and receive help when we need it.

Nobody should have to feel lonely, here are some tips to help you combat loneliness.

Tips to combat loneliness

Improve your awareness

The first step to successfully combatting loneliness is to improve your awareness of why you feel that way. Ask yourself if you’ve felt lonely a lot or if this is a recent development. This can help you to understand what triggers your feelings of loneliness and identify any patterns that you can actively work to change.

E.g. if you’ve been feeling lonely recently because you’ve declined invites to social gatherings that revolve around alcohol a possible solution could be to find or suggest alcohol-free social gatherings.

Say “Yes” when invited

A simple way to combat feelings of loneliness is to say “yes” whenever you’re invited to an event or gathering – even if you’re not massively excited about it. You may find that you actually end up enjoying the event but even if you don’t, the simple interactions you can have with others will help to lessen your feelings of loneliness.

Reach out to others

Rather than waiting for others to reach out to you, you may need to actively reach out to them.

Call an old friend or family member and arrange a date to meet and catch up. You can invite them to your home or go out to a café.

Arrange a social event yourself and invite others to it. This doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair, you can simply ask your colleagues if they’d like to go for a coffee together at lunch, or ask your neighbours if they’d like to come over for dinner.

Join a class or club that you’re interested in to meet others with similar interests who could become new friends. Even if you don’t form strong bonds straight away, getting together with others for an activity you enjoy may make you feel less lonely.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to combat loneliness – you get to meet other volunteers and charity workers while getting a good feeling from helping others. Loneliness can often be a result of not feeling like you’re part of anything so being part of a community of volunteers can help you feel less lonely.

At Shawmind, we’re always looking for volunteers to help… Either with our campaigns or in our Breathe Cafés. Apply to become a Shawmind volunteer.

Keep busy

If being alone is unavoidable at certain times, it can help you feel less lonely by being productive. Keep busy with a project around your home or at work. If you’re feeling up to it, you might also find that exercise is a good way to fill your time – while also having massive benefits for your mental and physical health.

Go virtual

If you can’t meet up with friends and family in person, spend time with them virtually. Video calls aren’t as complex as they once were – you can easily do them through phones, tablets, computers and smart home devices using Messenger, WhatsApp or Zoom.

Plan virtual events together, call for special occasions, or simply give them a ring when you fancy a chat.

Treat yourself

If you can’t avoid being alone at a certain time, treat yourself to things you can only do when you’re alone, such as reading a book, watching a whole boxset, or giving yourself a day of pampering. Generally doing things that make you feel good will give you a more positive outlook and help you to feel less lonely.

Adopt a pet

While you shouldn’t just adopt a pet to make you feel less lonely at one specific time (e.g. Christmas), if you’re regularly feeling lonely throughout the year a pet can be a great way to combat those feelings.

If you can’t commit to a pet full time, many shelters are often looking for foster homes to help care for animals until they can be adopted.

Look after yourself

If you look after your mental and physical health, you’ll be more likely to feel positive about life and take action if you feel lonely. If you’re not feeling great generally, any negative feelings like loneliness are likely to be intensified.

Get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, avoid excessive alcohol, and exercise regularly.

Ask for help

There is no shame in asking for help. If you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to a loved one for support, you can call a helpline to discuss how you’re feeling or simply talk to someone and feel less alone. Some helplines you can call are

Samaritans – 116 123

CALM – 0800 58 58 58

SupportLine – 01708 765200

If you’re consistently experiencing feelings of loneliness and low mood, you may want to consider seeking professional help e.g. from a GP or counsellor.

At Shawmind, we recognise that half of all mental health problems start in school so we’re on a mission to improve mental health support for young people and reduce their mental health struggles as adults. Connect us with the head of your children’s school, donate or learn more about our #Headucation campaign.

The 19th November marks #InternationalMen’sDay – an opportunity to reflect on the wellbeing of men and highlight positive male role models.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. In the UK alone, 75% of suicides are male. We’ve discussed before how men face a significant amount of stigma when it comes to mental health, which often holds them back from speaking up or seeking support.

Our goal is to help everyone with mental health, regardless of age, gender or race. If you, or a man you know, is struggling with mental health, here are our top recommended resources for men to educate themselves on mental health and seek support.

CALM

CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) have a helpline and webchat you can use from 5pm to midnight 365 days of the year. CALM are dedicated to supporting men who are feeling suicidal or who need to talk for any reason. Quite accurately they proclaim “Being silent isn’t being strong.”

There is a perfect resource for men to reach out to if they need to talk to someone impartial about their mental health.

HealthUnlocked

The Shawmind HealthUnlocked community is an online forum where you can anonymously ask questions about mental health or a particular scenario you may be in. Other members of the community can respond with their tips, advice and own experiences to help you on your journey. HealthUnlocked is a free service and only requires an internet connection.

Man MOT for the Mind

The Men’s Health Forum have created the interactive manual “Man MOT for the Mind” as a simple and effective way to figure out how you’re really feeling, maintain a positive mental wellbeing, or work on improving your wellbeing.

Flourishzone

Flourishzone provides you with your own confidential world where you can develop whatever skills you like including resilience and practical mental health skills. This is a safe space for men to work on their wellbeing, in private, and at their own pace.

Get a free Flourishzone licence from Shawmind.

Men’s (Man)ual for Good Mental Health

The Men’s (Man)ual for Good Mental Health from The Skills Collective is a free guide containing tips and information that men can use to educate themselves about mental health and look after their own mental wellbeing.

Daddy Blues

Daddy Blues is a book by Mark Williams that explores male postnatal depression and fatherhood. “He had never heard of fathers going through postnatal depression, but with a baby that wouldn’t stop crying, and a wife he could no longer connect with, he felt like he was losing himself more and more each day.”

This book is ideal for men with caring responsibilities who are struggling with their mental health and don’t know what to do next. Daddy Blues provides a rarely explored perspective for fathers and male carers.

Daddy Blues publisher, Trigger Hub, are also hosting ManTalk – an International Men’s Day event focused on men’s mental health.

ManUp!

ManUp! is a UK men’s mental health podcast with Andy Richardson, Tommy Danquah and guests that aims to get men talking about mental health more. Since a big part of the men’s mental health crisis is stigma, this podcast plays a big role in normalising male conversations around mental health and giving men the confidence to speak up and seek help.

Heads Together

Heads Together also works to reduce stigma around men’s mental health. This campaign involved numerous celebrities and male role models sharing stories about their own mental health struggles as a way to tell other men that it’s ok to talk. The Heads Together YouTube channel is a great place to start if you’re not feeling confident about speaking up or if you need reassurance that your mental health struggles are a valid problem.

Once a year events like #InternationalMen’sDay and Movember are great reminders that men’s mental health needs discussing – but mental health affects people all year round. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health at any time of year, encourage them to seek help from a professional or charity immediately.

At Shawmind, we recognise that half of all mental health problems start in school so we’re on a mission to improve mental health support for young people and reduce their mental health struggles as adults. Donate or learn more about our #Headucation campaign.

Social media is part of most people’s lives to some degree. In recent years, the focus has often been on the negative impact social media can have on people’s lives – but we think it’s important to acknowledge the positive and negative effects it can have on mental health, as well as how you can realistically use social media in a mentally healthy way.

Positive effects of social media on mental health

Encourages connections

One of the major selling points for social media platforms is that they enable you to connect with people anywhere in the world.

For some, this can have a positive effect on mental health by allowing them to interact with friends and loved ones regularly who they cannot see in person – this impact was highlighted particularly during COVID-19 when social media was a key source of connection for isolating families and friends.

This ability to connect with others can also benefit mental health by helping people, especially children and teenagers, to find and engage with those who have similar interests and challenges – giving them a sense of belonging and someone to talk to who may understand them better.

Facilitates mental health support

One of the first steps to getting support in any mental health journey is to talk about it – either with someone you know or with an organisation. Social media makes getting support with any challenging situation, including mental health, much easier as you can instantly connect with others and have conversations in a variety of formats depending on what suits you e.g. voice call, video call or text-based message.

Children and young people, as well as vulnerable or less confident adults, may find accessing mental health support via social media much easier and more achievable than approaching a GP or mental health professional in real life.

Helps to raise awareness and reduce stigma

Social media can be particularly effective at helping to raise awareness of mental health, encouraging open conversations and reducing stigma. With so many people regularly using social media in their daily lives, it’s one of the best ways to get mental health messages seen.

Mental health organisations like Shawmind use social media to raise awareness of mental health issues, share mental health resources for those in need of support and provide a safe space to challenge mental health stigma.

Negative effects of social media on mental health

Cyberbullying

One of the biggest problems with social media, particularly for children and young people, is cyberbullying. 1 in 5 children aged 10-15 have experienced cyberbullying which is a significant cause of mental health problems in children.

Cyberbullying is often considered more harmful than physical bullying at school since it can carry on 24/7, be spread to a wider group of people, and go undetected by parents and teachers unless raised by the bullied student.

Body image views

Another widely publicised criticism of social media is the impact it can have on body image for both adults and young people. Images are often highly edited or show someone only at their best and instil a belief in the user that they also need to achieve the same type of body as the person in the image.

While lots of work is being done in this area to combat this problem, this can still lead to adults and young people feeling as if their body is not good enough ultimately resulting in low self-esteem and, in the worst cases, eating disorders.

FOMO

While the ability to connect with others 24/7 has been beneficial for some, it has also amplified the ‘Fear Of Missing Out’ (FOMO). People (both younger and older) spend hours every day on social media so that they don’t miss out on something that may interest them. This is not the individual’s fault, the social media platforms have been engineered to be addictive and keep people wanting to come back, but this excessive use is bad for both our physical and mental health.

FOMO itself can keep us from being able to rest properly in case we miss something while hours staring at a screen is not good for our eyes or brain. All of these physical effects can worsen our mental health in addition to FOMO making us feel more anxious and isolated.

Triggers

Social media content is not heavily monitored or moderated by any central agency which can make it very easy to come across posts that can trigger those with mental health conditions. Anything from a post glorifying self-harm to a distant relative making discriminatory comments can trigger someone, especially those already in a vulnerable state of mind.

Similarly to cyberbullying, this content is available 24/7 and can feel near-impossible to escape from. Particularly controversial content that receives a lot of engagement may even be shown more prominently to sensitive users as the platform algorithms work to show them the most popular posts.

How can you realistically balance mental health and social media?

Some people avoid social media altogether, but for many, this may not be an option. Here are some simple tips both adults and young people can follow to limit the negative effects of social media without avoiding it completely.

• Follow positive influencers for your mental health
• Use social media to check in on friends and loved ones (delete the posts from your old neighbour that only annoys you)
• Limit the time you spend online
• Disable notifications so you don’t get them on your phone all the time
• Only check social media during the day so that it’s not the first or last thing you see

Learn more about social media and mental health with our online course.

Social media is an integral part of children’s and young people’s lives but they will likely face mental health challenges because of it. We’re on a mission to improve mental health support for young people by training teachers to provide early intervention and support, thereby reducing the demand on NHS mental health services like CAMHS.

Find out how you can get involved with Headucation and help us improve mental health for the next generation.

As a nation, Brits are renowned drinkers. Many of our social activities tend to revolve around drinking alcohol, pubs, bars and clubs. The drinking culture we have in Britain can make it hard for those avoiding alcohol to still be social without feeling like an outsider or even pressured to drink. Removing yourself from social situations completely can impact your wellbeing given how integral socialising is to building and maintaining positive mental health.

Some choose to forgo alcohol for personal or religious reasons, whilst others may be battling problems with alcohol or alcoholism. Many people forget (especially those who don’t struggle with alcohol) that alcoholism and other substance addictions are serious and challenging mental health conditions that need the appropriate support from those around them. But many people don’t want to sacrifice their social habits which means that sober people can often feel excluded.

But it’s not impossible to maintain a social life without. This is a perfect opportunity for us to share some tips for those with a difficult relationship with alcohol to maintain a healthy, sober social life.

1. Find alternative activities

If you can find other ways to spend time with people besides drinking, you will find it much easier to have an enjoyable social life without alcohol. Rather than going to a club for your birthday, why not try an activity like paintballing or a trip to the cinema? These activities don’t always have to be completely alcohol-free either – you can simply find ways to minimise the emphasis that will be placed on alcohol. Instead of going to the pub for dinner, find a restaurant where the focus will primarily be on the food.

It helps to have a couple of good options on hand for when people suggest something you think could be difficult for you. Figure out what activities you enjoy and what’s on offer locally so that you can always make a counter-suggestion if needed.

2. Find alternative drinks

While it may seem obvious to find something non-alcoholic to drink when staying sober, the key is to find something you genuinely enjoy drinking so that alcohol becomes less appealing. This can also make it easier to attend the same social gatherings as usual since you’ll have an alternative drink to look forward to. This can be a standard soft drink, speciality alcohol-free option (like mocktails) or even a hot drink. Try a few things out and see what you like.

3. Learn to say ‘no’

The people-pleasing part of many of us can make it difficult to say no to people when they ask us to do something or offer us something.

But it’s very unlikely that a situation will arise when refusing to drink alcohol will have catastrophic consequences – if anything, it’s likely to have the opposite effect in the long term.

Get used to saying ‘no’ by continuously turning down offers for drinks (or alcohol-centred social events if you find them challenging). You could even engineer this by having a friend who knows what you’re trying to do and get them to continuously offer you drinks so you can practice.

At the start of your sober journey there will always be questions about why you’re not drinking or why you won’t have ‘just one’. In this situation, you’ll massively benefit from having some prepared responses to decrease the chance of you being talked into drinking. Here are some examples:

• “I just feel better when I don’t drink”
• “I’m not feeling great and don’t want to make it worse”
• “I had a bad experience a while back and I’ve been put off since then”
• “My doctor said I can’t drink for a little while”

These don’t always have to be completely true, sometimes you just need a way to get people to drop the subject and move on.

If someone keeps pushing you and seems intent on getting you to drink, Mark Willenbring, an addiction psychiatrist, suggests asking “does my not drinking make you uncomfortable?” as this will often get them to immediately stop and reflect on their actions.

4. Prepare your friends and family

If you feel comfortable opening up to your loved ones about your choice to stop drinking, it will make it easier for you to avoid alcohol in social situations. They’ll be less likely to offer you alcohol (which means you don’t have to feel awkward about saying ‘no’) and may actively try to find non-alcohol-centred social events for you to go to.

Similarly to when saying ‘no’, you don’t have to tell everyone the whole story if you don’t feel comfortable with it. Keeping it simple and saying “I feel better when I don’t drink” is absolutely fine!

5. Have a sober network

We can probably all agree that it’s easier to stick to any commitment when there is more than one person involved. Arrange social events with other people who are sober or invite a sober friend along to other social events to help you stay away from alcohol. If you can’t bring them along, you can send them a message or give them a call with things get tough.

If you don’t have someone who is actively trying to avoid alcohol, ask for help from someone you trust who can help you stay away from alcohol.

6. Find healthy ways to respond to triggers

Some people drink when happy, some drink when they’re stressed and others drink for a variety of reasons. Take some time to identify why you drink so that you can prepare alternative ways to respond to that situation.

Drinking when stressed? Try going for a walk.

Drinking in celebration? Why not go out for afternoon tea?

Knowing what your triggers are can also help you avoid them – but we know it’s not always a realistic long-term strategy.

It’s not impossible to maintain a social life while battling alcoholism – but it might take some work.

Sometimes your social life will change as a result of becoming sober, but it doesn’t have to be for the worse. Often, going sober can help you spend more quality time with your friends and family, build stronger relationships and allow you to feel better both mentally and physically.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, reach out to Drinkaware.

Want to find out more about the mental health side and implications of additions like alcoholism? Take a look at our mental health awareness courses covering a range of mental health conditions and how you can spot and support those struggling.

All funds from our courses go directly into our Headucation campaign that aims to improve mental health in children and young people by training teachers in the basics of mental health support.

In the UK, around 1 in 8 men have a common mental health condition and 3 out of 4 suicides are committed by men. Why, then, do so few men take time off work for mental health challenges like low mood and depression?

Stigma.

While stigma still exists for all mental health challenges to some degree, it is arguably more prevalent around men’s mental health. In many cultures, males are meant to fulfil a traditionally masculine role, and any admission that they need help may be perceived as a sign of weakness. As a result, men are more likely to turn to substance abuse when struggling with mental health which can lead to them being categorised as addicts rather than as somebody struggling with mental health problems.

One of the best ways to reduce the stigma around mental health for men is to talk about it. Over the past few years, more and more male celebrities have been sharing their own mental health stories to help others understand that it’s ok to talk and seek help.

Men’s mental health role models

Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson’

Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, depression doesn’t discriminate … The key thing I found is … especially for us as guys….you gotta talk about it, you’re not alone.

Steven Gerrard

“I think the key to it all is never keeping it in and never thinking that’s the right thing to keep it in”

Ryan Reynolds

“I tend to get pretty depressed and I have some issues with anxiety and things like that”

Freddie Flintoff

“The hardest thing for me was talking”

Michael Phelps

“I remember sitting in my room for four or five days not wanting to be alive, not talking to anybody”

Olly Murs

“Underneath it all I was just worrying about what was going to happen and I was actually depressed”

Where can you find support for men’s mental health?

We believe the key to supporting any mental health condition is in early intervention – i.e. finding support as early as possible before your mental health can deteriorate to suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

Research has shown that men are more likely to seek mental health support if it is made available online, anonymously and at any time of day, therefore our recommendations focus on support methods that meet those conditions.

Support groups & forums

We host a monthly ManCave event designed to provide a safe non-judgemental space for men to come together and discuss mental health. You can come along to seek advice, share your own experiences, provide support for other men, or at first simply join with your camera and microphone off to listen to the session and know that you’re not alone.

You can also join our free Health Unlocked community to get tips and discuss problems with others in an anonymous online forum.

Mental health apps

Shawmind are working with Flourishzone to improve the mental health and wellbeing of 1000 people in the UK via their AI-powered wellbeing app. Flourishzone provides you with your own confidential world where you can develop whatever skills you like including resilience and practical mental health skills.

Support lines

CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) have a helpline and webchat you can use from 5pm to midnight 365 days of the year. CALM are dedicated to supporting men who are feeling suicidal or who need to talk for any reason. Quite accurately they proclaim “Being silent isn’t being strong.”

4 Men’s mental health tips

Men need to look after their mental health as much as any other individual but it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some tips to help you look after your mental health:

1. Get plenty of exercise – even a short walk can massively improve your mental wellbeing
2. Talk regularly to friends and loved ones to maintain human contact (and help each other spot when something changes!)
3. Make time for yourself even if you have a job and/or family to look after – you can’t care for anyone else if you’re not first taking care of yourself
4. Eat and drink well – your physical health can have a huge impact on your mental health and vice versa so looking after both is key!

If you or a man you know needs support with mental health, feel free to come to one of our events or send us a message via WhatsApp.

Mental health is not a weakness. But without early intervention it can become much more serious. Help us in our mission to support mental health by donating or participating in one of our training sessions.

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