Lately, you have been hearing the term self care more than ever.
We are experiencing a pandemic that most of have never lived through and you are seeing the data on its impact on mental health.
I don’t know about you but when I hear the term “self care” I often imagine the topic being more geared towards women’s health and care.
Whether it’s a conversation amongst peers, a blog write up, or a magazine article. What about the fellas? Men need as much self care as women – if not more – because of it being gender driven.
I posted on my Facebook page asking which of my male friends watch the stress levels in their own life and practice caring for themselves and their health in that way. What does it look like for them? Some responses were “a nice chair where they just sit back and relax.” Or “a favorite beverage” is the response many want and I think that’s because it’s still viewed as a de-masculine subject for males.
Men need to take the time to tune into their own self & care for their health just as much as anyone else.
Here are some possible ways to help the men in your life achieve a new level of health & care for their own self:
Hygiene
The female species dominates this field when it comes to marketing with make up, lotions, SPFs, under eye cream, fountain of youth serums… you name it. Take some time to take care of, and love your skin. Flush and brush daily, find something that makes your body feel nice. Maybe even splurge on a nice set of sheets for your bed, believe me you’ll thank me for that one.
Socialization
find a group of people in your life that offers positive and uplifting support. Forming new friendships is tough especially as an adult but it’s important for your mental health to have really meaningful people in your life. If you have good peers, make it a priority to spend time with them.
Care for Body and Mind
Massages, walks, mediation, and journaling are just a few ways to decompress the load of everyday. We live in an age where finding something to do is literally at our fingertips and being in WNY offers a lot of great places to escape the everyday norm. Even some health insurances will cover massages or health classes. Learn how to make a meal. Some grocery stores and kitchen supply stores offer cooking classes which are relatively cheap. There’s a whole buffet of YouVideo instructions, too.
The bottom line is men and women are in need of taking slower steps and maximizing the way we take care of our own health and self, including mind, body, and spirit.
Check our Spectrum Health’s Mindfulness sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10am to give yourself a few minutes of peace and calm. Spectrum Health’s NY Project Hope has another free program called Hope and Cope: Techniques for Making Life Easier with two yoga sessions a week (the Tuesday class is in person!)
When we do this, we feel better, our bodies will tell us what needs improvement or assistance. More energy will become abundant and we can appreciate truly daily living.
Cristin Estrada
Sr. Outreach and Engagement Specialist
