Mental Health: It's not about the crisis point!

Mental Health is a buzzword, it has been for a while, but why is it that now of all times, we've had this explosion of conversation.

Of course, some would say the horrendous rates of suicide, some will point to social media and some will blame the conversation itself for this sudden surge in diagnoses.

But to me, the issue isn't any one of these factors, it's the whole collection I've mentioned and so many more.

There are generations that haven't been equipped with the tools to manage their mental health because it was a taboo conversation. Now with so many people reaching crisis points its reached epidemic levels.

How do we address this?

We start by working with people, teaching them the importance of a mental health check and showing them that it's not just ok but necessary sometimes to ask for help and they are not a lesser person for doing it.

I think about society's push for a healthy life, "Eat your five a day, cut down on sugar, fight obesity etc".

When you attend your GP, they ask about your weight, diet, and alcohol consumption. But when was the last time a GP asked, "How are you feeling mentally? What do you do for your mental health?"

I'm not blaming our healthcare system here, they already do so much, but it is representative of a society that put physical appearance first.

It's endemic of our culture to be physically fit, yet we abandon our emotional and mental side.

Time to fix the future

We have to start prioritising mental health in education, working with students to help them understand how they feel, to spot warning signs in themselves and others.

If we equip these young people with the skills now, they'll have them for life.

This isn't about assigning labels.

This isn't about diagnosing everyone.

This is about helping young people know how to help themselves, about equipping them with the tools to intervene before the crisis occurs.

Who are The Man Cave?

The Man Cave runs weekly online catch-ups where mental wellbeing isn't the forefront of the conversation. The aim of these meetings is to give people a chance to socialise and talk about anything and provide them with another tool to balance their mental health.

The Man Cave also works with schools, colleges and universities to deliver workshops that help people understand and balance their mental wellbeing. If you are interested in working with The Man Cave contact us here.