By Sidhharrth S Kumaar
The stigma around men’s vulnerability still averts them from communicating their emotions and reaching out for help concerning their mental health issues. Based on a retrospective data analysis (N = 3000) at NumroVani, 86% of male participants suffered from mental health symptoms such as stress, anxiety, or depression at least once in their life. Out of which, 75% never spoke about it or shared it with anyone.
Tracking the roots of the issue
Men’s attitude towards mental health issues is connected to a multitude of things and has been embedded into subconscious thoughts for ages. Let’s look at some of them.
The assumption that emotional vulnerability somehow eats away at masculinity is deeply ingrained in our minds. Maybe that’s why men find it difficult to open up about their mental distress at work.
But this problem is more than just another toxic gender-specific trait that we’ve normalized. It affects the mental health of men seriously.
Imparting wrong lessons is agonizing for them and difficult to unlearn as adults. The old line of ‘men don’t cry isn’t true. They do. They just don’t express it publicly or even talk about it because of the fear of being labelled as a fragile male.
Men struggle with this for their entire teenage and, as adults, become clueless about managing their emotional battles.
Also Read | Here are the best ways to reduce stress and improve mental health at work
Psychological Profile of Men
Men have different psychology, which is least talked about and rarely understood. Research indicates that men are more likely to opt against seeking professional help for mental health struggles.
There are two things to unpack in such situations.
The societal barriers and personal biases. The personal barrier arises due to the incorrect ideals picked up unconsciously from the home environment while growing up.
All of us try to identify ourselves with a particular archetype that we think we match. For men, that’s always been synonymous with being bold, aggressive, independent, strong, ambitious, and protective.
These expectations are detrimental to men’s mental health. This diminishes their capacity to face their fears, anxieties, and sadness, thus reducing their ability to articulate these feelings.
Whenever men try to come to terms with what they’re going through, there’s a mental disconnect. This tells them that what’s happening isn’t aligned with who they are, causing self-esteem issues and embarrassment. Perhaps this disconnect is also responsible for a large proportion of men being dismissive of professional services available for mental health. Studies have found that only a quarter of mentally distressed men think seeking help for mental health issues is crucial. This statistic is in no way justified but expected in a way because of how boys are raised.
What goes into men’s mental well-being at work
One’s mental well-being certainly finds its way into one’s work. For many men, the workplace can be the number one trigger that sets off a state of mental disbalance. Living in this fast-paced world full of deadlines and targets, mental health is treated like an afterthought. Low job security and stagnant careers are also major factors that affect the mental health of both genders.
Constant comparisons like ‘who achieved what’ on social media don’t help. While these are the causes of mental disturbances in men, their manifestations can be spotted in various ways. Here are some of them.
Staying zoned out Spending copious amounts of time over something like work, a sudden increase in screen time, inability to focus deeply, and heavy procrastination can all indicate being zoned out.
Escapism- This is the easiest to spot because it appears like a pattern everywhere. The main traits of a person with escapist tendencies are:
– Finding comfort in binge-eating
– Cutting off communication with colleagues or friends and family
– Excessive drinking
Saying ‘No’ to everything- The general ‘no’ reply to every activity could be a cause for concern. Things like the following are like easter eggs leading up to an emotionally troubled person.
opting out of social events or team projects taking an unusual number of leaves resisting their reply gives rise to irritation, anger, and outbursts
How working professionals can win over it
The journey of mental well-being begins with identifying and recognizing the true self, i.e., “You”, and opting for a wellness journey which is customized and personalized as per individual body types and persona. One effective mode of personalization is personalization based on Name and Date of Birth.
In general, the first step toward making anyone mentally healthy is to make the individual feel understood and welcomed. In corporate settings, the management must take the necessary steps to ensure every employee is able to talk about their mental state freely without any fear of prejudice. The most important point over here is to be able to read the silence.
Here’s a list of what might help:
‘Vulnerability is OK’ has to be the motto. The best way to do this is to start conversations that lead to these topics slowly and casually, without being too intrusive.
“Swapping office lingo could be promising.” It’s surprising how far language changes can go. Replacing negatively perceived words with positively perceived words does wonders. For instance, swapping ‘facing stress’ for ‘figuring my way through burnout’ boosts morale significantly.
One-to-one talks are great for boosting comfort regarding mental health issues and erasing any stigma or heaviness associated with it.
In a workplace, it’s important to lead by example. Being vulnerable to your emotional state with your team can encourage them to open and make them feel secure and break through resistance.
Being proactive and personalized in the mental well-being journey is an absolute need of the hour. Based on our experience at NumroVani, proactive and personalization boosts zeal and enthusiasm.
Seeking professional help should be seen in a more positive light, and care should be taken not to threaten anyone regarding these matters.
The Road Ahead
We believe that majority of changes to be made lie in the casual space. Being proactive and personalized is the secret key to this wellness journey.
(The author is Founder of NumroVani and a renowned name in Astro Numerology. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
