According to the World Health Organization, approximately 280 million people suffer from depression in the world. And these numbers keep rising.
Depression is a chronic and recurrent psychiatric illness that produces mood swings characterized by deep sadness and a strong feeling of hopelessness.
The cases of suicide in the male gender group have also been increasing. In the UK, it is considered the leading cause of death in men under 50: of the 125 suicides that occur on average each week, 75% are male, according to recent statistics from the Campaign Against Living Miserably.
This is so alarming, that motivated the British sports accessories company Gymshark to open a barbershop in London staffed by trained mental health professionals. The company was based on a survey that showed that more men feel more comfortable opening up to barbers than to therapists or doctors.
Of course, anyone with depression needs to seek medical help, so a barber, even trained in mental health, will not be able to treat anyone in this condition.
However, this shows the urgency of taking any action to reduce suicides, and can be a starting point to break the taboo that still exists about talking openly about what is going on inside us.
We need to create safe spaces where men can feel comfortable to express their emotions.
Perhaps it is in search of this that some men seem to be increasingly interested in related discussions on the internet, that do not usually go to the social circle or in a bar with friends, such as mental wellbeing, behavior and relationships.
This is what has been happening, for example, on Taty Ferreira’s YouTube channel called Acidez Feminina, or Female Acidity in English: more than half of the almost 1.8 million subscribers, with ages between 25 and 44, are men.
“Why would men be interested in behavior and relationship related topics being talked about by a woman?” is the question Taty receives most often. “It’s because of the humorous yet questioning tone! And this is crucial to attract and retain this audience,” she answers.
In the month of celebration of International Men’s Day (last 19th), there is a rising interest in self-awareness, personal development, and mental wellbeing.
Some of my male clients, for example, express in the form of anger much of the sadness they feel but do not really know how to deal with. Or others who are experiencing an increasing sense of loneliness. And one of the remedies for loneliness is to allow yourself to open up with reliable people, without reservations.
Therefore, I don’t believe that the modern man does not want to live his emotions, but I do believe that there are not always safe spaces for this to happen.
Therefore, mostly, what the modern man needs is help to interpret his emotions for then evolving both personally and socially.
How do you perceive that you are evolving as a human being? Comment below!
If you have questions about how to seek emotional maturity that ultimately will help you with mental wellbeing, schedule a free chat with me by clicking on this link!
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About me: I’m a High-Performance Coach who uses a Neuroscience-based method to support you in Achieve More with Mental Well-Being.
