What you should know about the Mental Health of Men
The NCRB 2021 Report shows that 73% of all suicide deaths in India are of Men. This makes it important for us to create more awareness about Mental Health of men, a topic we don't talk much about.
Our emotional health is a big part of our mental health. And let’s be honest what do we teach our boys about emotions...
“Don’t cry like a girl”
“Mard ko dard nahi hota”
“Boys are rough and tough”
This toxic masculinity is further emphasised by Media (Ads and Movies). Women are always shown as the caring loving ones and men as strong, decisive and aggressive. Thus our unconscious biases are always expecting a man to behave ‘manly’. And we stereotype men into a box labelled ‘Strong’ and unconsciously expect them to confirm to that tag. The only emotion that they are fully allowed is Anger.
Watch this video to understand more about Men's Mental Health. Some tips if you are a man struggling with your Mental Wellbeing right now:
Drop a message to a friend, close family member, spouse, partner that you would like to talk to them about something. This will give you an opening in your next meeting with them to share something that has been bothering you
Read or watch videos about managing and expressing emotions healthily
Remember some of the strongest biases may not only come from women, but from other men and shockingly from your own self. So be mindful of your own blind spots so that they don’t cage you into conforming to society’s version of masculinity.
Seek help from a professional if you haven’t been able to resolve some emotions yourself. Don’t suffer in silence.
So this International Men’s Day lets open our eyes to our unconscious biases and allow men to cry, share their struggles, be vulnerable and let’s do all that without labelling them as ‘not manly’. Let’s start by asking them ‘How are you doing, really?’
Host: Vivek Kapoor, Marketing Expert
Speaker: Hamsaz Wadhwani, Chief Executive at The 7th Fold
#genderbias #genderstereotypes #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthofmen #internationalmensday