Tag Archives: wellbeing

men's mental health
AMH News

Focus on: Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

While our mental health matters all-year round, dedicated awareness days, weeks and months are great for shining a spotlight on particular issues and helping to raise awareness of these. They help to get people talking about subjects previously often deemed taboo and act as signposts to vital services which can support those who are struggling.

November is one such month, with both International Stress Awareness Week, Stress Awareness Day and Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month all taking place.

According to the Office for Statistics Regulation, a review of mental health statistics in Northern Ireland shows that: “The legacy of violence and socio-economic factors are frequently cited as key contributors to poor mental health.” [1] With Northern Ireland subsequently having some of the highest rates of mental ill-health in the UK, supporting men in this area is crucial, particularly when they’re often less likely to seek help in relation to their mental health.

Research shows that in 2022, 156 men took their own lives in Northern Ireland [3] – each of these a person with friends and family who subsequently suffered a devastating loss. There are many reasons why someone may suffer from poor mental health, but opening up conversations around this is key to helping reduce the stigma around this and to encourage men to seek support.

As part of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to remember that both men and women experience a wide range of mental health issues. However, due to societal habits and traditions, men often don’t talk about how they feel, or seek out help when they need it.   

What men think about their mental health

Research from Priory [2], the UK’s leading independent provider of mental healthcare and adult social care, surveyed 1,000 men across the UK to find out more about how they thought about their mental health. They found that 40% of men had never spoken to anyone about their mental health, despite the fact that 77% of those polled said they had experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

A further 40% of UK men said they would only be motivated to seek professional mental health support if they had thoughts about taking their own life, or of self-harm. The figures also revealed that the reasons men stated for not discussing their mental health or seeking help were because they felt “too embarrassed” to talk about it (29%) and because of the stigma surrounding mental health issues (20%).

Other reasons included men not wanting to be a burden on anyone else (36%), not wanting to admit that they needed support (17%) and not wanting to appear weak (14%). A further 40% said they had “learnt to deal with it,” while 14% said they had no one to talk to.”

The top causes of poor mental health in the men surveyed were:

  • Work (32%)
  • Finances (31%)
  • Health (23%)

With Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month falling just before Christmas, it’s also significant to note that amongst men aged 35-44, the pressure/cost of the festive season also contributed to their poor mental health.

Signs of poor mental health in men

While men and women experience the same symptoms for mental health conditions, the research shows that some of these are more often found in men – so it’s good to be aware of what they are.

Commonly shared symptoms include things such as feeling constantly overwhelmed and sad, withdrawing from friends and family and experiencing persistent worry. Feeling fatigued, as well as finding it difficult to concentrate and having headaches or being short of breath can also be signs to watch out for.

When it comes to men’s mental health, however, additional factors (which again, can also occur in women but are usually more prevalent in men) often include substance abuse, working obsessively and sleep issues, as well as being angry and more irritable. Men can also be more likely to engage in reckless behaviour when struggling with their mental health.

According to Devine (2024) 1,989 men were treated for problem alcohol or drug use in Northern Ireland in 2022/23, with 67% of these being males. [3]

In addition to this, it was found that “19% of men had low or medium levels of satisfaction with life, while 18% of men had a high score on the GHQ-12 scale, indicating a mental health problem. 14% of these men were aged between 35-44 or 65 years+, with 24% of them aged 45-54.”

Tips if you’re a man struggling with his mental health

There are various things you can do if you’re struggling with your mental health, one of which is speaking with a professional. Talking to anyone – be it a friend, family member, your GP or a mental health charity – is so important. Meanwhile, there are also various coping strategies which you can do on your own alongside this, to help keep support your mental health in the day-to-day.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a great place to start and are focused on connecting with people, getting active, taking notice of things around you, learning a new skill and giving.

Here are some ways to help your mental health, if you’re struggling:

  • Socialise: Connecting with other people gets us out of our own heads and prevents us from feeling lonely, which is when negative thoughts or bouts of ruminative thinking can often occur. By engaging with other people, be it friends, family or taking a walk and saying hello to a stranger, being social helps us keep things in perspective and reminds us that we’re not alone.
  • Be active: Whether it’s going for a run, walk or heading down to the gym, when we move, it helps us feel good, as our brain releases endorphins. So, any movement is good – just get up and go outside as a first step. Once you start moving, the next step becomes easier.
  • Reduce your alcohol intake: While socialising with friends is great, cutting down on alcohol will help your mental health, as drinking has depressive effects and, if you’re already feeling low, it will only add to this. It might be hard to say ‘no’ if you’re stressed and it’s become your go-to ‘crutch,’ but try to swap out alcohol for a soft drink or non-alcoholic version – or do something which doesn’t involve drinking at all, if you’re meeting friends.
  • Learn some relaxation techniques: If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed then simply taking notice of five things around you – things you can touch, see, hear or smell, for example – can ground you and focus your mind in the moment. Focusing on your breathing is another good way to relax – try breathing in for a count of four and then extending your outward breath for longer than this. The longer outward breath will help you to feel more relaxed, calming your parasympathetic nervous system.

If you need someone to talk to …

If you’re struggling with your mental health, then it’s important to speak with someone – and help is out there, should you need it. If you’re in crisis, then talk to your GP, as they can diagnose conditions and outline possible treatment options. You can also contact the organisations below at any time.

  • Minding Your Head: Access information about mental health and the issues that can affect it, along with tips on how to maintain good mental health. www.mindingyourhead.info/  
  • Lifeline: A Free 24-hour crisis response helpline for people who are experiencing distress or despair, where trained counsellors will listen and help immediately on the phone and follow up with other support if necessary. Tel: 0808 808 8000 / www.lifelinehelpline.info  
  • Samaritans: A registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide throughout UK and Ireland, often through their telephone helpline or online chat. Freephone: 116 123 / www.samaritans.org/

Find information on local men’s mental health organisations at: https://findhelpni.com/find-help-near-me/Mens-Support

References:

[1] https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/review-of-mental-health-statistics-in-northern-ireland/pages/2/#:~:text=The%20latest%20official%20statistics%2C%20from,%25%20females)%5B2%5D.

[2] Priory: https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/40-of-men-wont-talk-to-anyone-about-their-mental-health

[3] Devine, P. (2024). Men’s Health in Numbers: Northern Ireland Men’s Health Report Card 2024. Dublin: Men’s Health Forum in Ireland. Available at: https://www.mhfi.org/MensHealthInNumbers3.pdf

menopause yoga mental health
AMH News

How yoga can help during the menopause

With October marking Menopause Awareness Month, we’ve been speaking to various women who are all raising awareness of the menopause and helping other women navigate this significant stage of their lives. Having previously featured Dr Siobhan Kirk, along with Roisin Hillman from the Menopause Together charity and Siobhan Kearney from Menopause NI, our final blog as part of Menopause Month is with local yoga instructor, Lisa Copeland. 

menopause mental health

Specifically trained in menopause-specific yoga – and with 20 years general yoga teaching experience – Lisa explained how yoga can help to alleviate perimenopause and menopausal symptoms, both physical and mental.

“I think yoga always helps women – it helps everybody,” she said. “It has certainly been the anchor I needed. What the menopause yoga course does is it gives women the tools that they need to manage each stage of the menopause.”

According to research carried out by Abiç and Yilmaz Vefikuluçay (2024), the psychological, somatic and urogenital symptoms of menopause may be reduced by yoga. Their findings came from a randomised control study which focused on menopausal women aged between 40-60 years old who completed 60 minutes of yoga twice a week for 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, Petra Coveney, whom Lisa trained under and who created the world’s first accredited yoga and wellbeing programme for women experiencing menopause in 2013 – Menopause Yoga™️ – says the following on her website:

“Yoga is scientifically proven to reduce stress and inflammation, which exacerbates many menopause symptoms such as anxiety, hot flushes, joint and muscle pain. Yoga may also help with sleep, digestion, fatigue, general mental health and may help prevent falls and fractures by developing posture, balance (proprioception), inner sensory awareness (interception) and muscle tone.”

With yoga for menopause increasingly popular amongst women, Lisa pointed out that it wasn’t something which would magically solve all menopause-related issues, but was best used alongside various lifestyle changes. These include things such as diet, weight training to increase bone density and potential HRT use – with regular reviews of what you’re doing the key to ensuring a holistic and more effective approach to managing symptoms.

“It’s important to consider the effect that low oestrogen has on the body during menopause,” she said. “According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, one in two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to poor bone health and replacing oestrogen, as well as making lifestyle changes, can help reduce this statistic. Cardiovascular health can also be affected during the menopause, as well as mental health.”

While the feedback has been incredibly positive from women who have attended Lisa’s yoga sessions, she said her initial motivation to become a menopause yoga teacher was very personal.

“I’m 55 years old now and I was going through the perimenopause in my late 40s but didn’t realise I was,” she said. “I hadn’t even heard of the word ‘perimenopause’. My own experience of this journey called menopause has been challenging and difficult. Yoga for menopause is a very specific course and Petra Coveney approaches this from a scientific and clinical basis, so when I saw the opportunity to do the course I just went for it.

“I came to it when I was post-hysterectomy, so I had been going through a very rough time, both physically and mentally. It was another aspect of my menopause journey. I did the course for myself first and then I thought I could decide if I wanted to share it. It was so beneficial to me.”

What to expect during menopause yoga classes

With the course for menopause yoga comprising four weeks, each session takes women through the key stages of the menopause journey, incorporating discussion, breathing techniques and modified yoga poses. There is also mindful meditation, while Lisa always signposts women to useful sources of information at the end of sessions, as well as providing healthy snacks and nutrition information.

She said that one of the first things women said about yoga for menopause was that it offered an inclusive and welcoming space where they felt safe and able to share aspects of their own journeys. Indeed, classes typically comprise 10-12 women and always begin with a shared conversation session, where attendees can discuss as much as they wish about their own peri/menopause experiences.

“It’s very helpful, that protection aspect of it, which helps with feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion,” said Lisa. “I’ve found that many of the women who come to me are absolute beginners and have never come to yoga before. They’re attracted to it because it’s specific to menopause.

“They’ve maybe felt in the past that yoga wasn’t for them and that you had to be really fit and flexible. So, when it’s specially tailored to their needs, it’s more appealing. They get the information they need – with take-home techniques and tips that are easy to put into their day – and leave feeling empowered and enlightened.

“It’s been a real eye-opener for me, for the need for women to get into a space like that. And then, of course, it’s great fun as well.”

In week one, women receive an overview of the menopause journey and what they might expect throughout this, although of course, it’s very much a unique experience for each person. Lisa added that the cooling breathing techniques incorporated into the sessions helped with feelings of overwhelm and anxiety, which can often cause the heat to rise.

“The mental health issues can also really rear their head during menopause,” she said. “For example, a fear of driving. There are grounding and relaxing techniques I teach on the course to help with this, which again are easy to use and access in the moment.”

Adapting sessions to suit the needs of the room at any given time, Lisa rounds off the four-week programme with “a lovely class in the final week where women are encouraged to find their ‘second spring’ and find that they’ve come full circle.”

She added: “A lot of women come back for another four weeks. There’s such a need for this. I remember one woman, who had never done yoga before, said at the end of the course that it had been an eye-opener and that every woman should do it, as it looked after both your body and your mind.

“I think the compassion element is really interesting. Women can be very hard on themselves. From a mental health perspective, that’s the worst thing you can say to someone – to pick yourself up and get on with it. But we often do it with the menopause. For me, it’s always about meeting women where they are and teaching from my personal experience.”

Also a qualified reflexologist, Lisa provides bespoke treatments for menopausal clients. Again, she teaches techniques that women can then take home, as part of her mission for educating and empowering women.

For anyone considering coming along to a yoga for menopause class, she said there were multiple benefits, not least in the fact the sessions created that safe space where women could share their thoughts and emotions – something which supports their mental health.

“These emotions they’re feeling – particularly that really low mood – is all part of the menopause journey, but the classes show that there’s help there and they can also help themselves,” she said. “Anhedonia – that feeling of nothing being of interest to you anymore – becomes really prevalent in menopause. It can become a vicious cycle.

“For some women, the yoga for menopause classes are the very first time they’ve shared anything about their personal journey. Quite a lot of relief comes with that. It’s a very bespoke programme that has been tried and tested and I just love it.”

Why women love menopause yoga

“Menopause yoga with Lisa was the most fantastic and relaxing shared experience with women at different stage of their menopause journey. It really helped me sleep and my sanity and set me up for the week.”

“I attended Yoga for Menopause and it has been a lifeline for me.”

“Every session was enlightening. I left each class with a sense of calm and inner strength.”

“It’s a beautiful four-week journey which takes you through the four seasons of the change. I never thought positively about menopause before this programme and now I’m embracing my ‘second spring’ with much more understanding and compassion.”

Resources: