Men's Health

It may seem odd a woman writing an article for Men’s Health week… However, we wanted to continue to put focus on men's mental health week following on from the pandemic.

Starting from a young age, I have always suffered from mental health issues, and I have dedicated a lot of my time to studying and researching mental health. Not only so I can help myself toachieve a happier more balanced life but so I can share my trauma and experience to be able to help others. I have always taken the stance of refusing to hide in the shadows if I can assist in helping better other people’s lives. I guess in away, that’s how the employee centric culture at Navigator was born. I understood, and wanted others to know I did, and not only was I there as a Manager/Director – I was also there as an additional support network. I want my employees to know that I general care for them as a person, to me not one is as simple as a “payroll number”.

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Over the years, I would say more so in the last 4 years, the pandemic being the major tipping point – mental health has become a bigger topic and finally started to get the acknowledgement that it deserves while putting out more educational information. The shift has been amazing, as well as the move on men’s mental health! The movement needs to continue and never stop.

Men’s mental health does exist, and it is a lot harder for men to talk about it more so than women. It has always been acceptable to an extent for a woman to be quite expressive about their emotions, without peer pressure from either gender. Men on the other hand have had to contend with other men that are set in the old ways of “men don’t cry” and also women thinking “I have never seen a man cry before”. Let’s face it ladies, a lot of us have said it right? And lads, you will have heard other men belittle another man for showing their emotions? It is no secret.

Let’s remove the stigma…

We, as in everyone, need to let everyone know it is ok to talk and that it is ok to not be ok, no matter what gender you identify as. Showing an emotion is not a demonstration of weakness, it is a sign of being human. We all laugh, cry, feel sad and feel happiness, etc. and a gender does not define whether you can express those or not.

I am proud that at DMS Navigator we have an open-door policy, we are a heavily male environment, and I am proud of how expressive our employees are and how they support one another daily. We all need to create a welcoming environment for all our employees, one in which they feel they can express and be themselves.

DMS Navigator also have trained mental health first aiders, both male and female.

Everyone knows that not only are their fellow colleagues approachable but so are their Managers/Directors. We take mental health seriously.

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It is a phrase I love to say, and it has become our moto,“we aren’t just colleagues, we are a second family”. And it’s true.

One of the charities I have enjoyed seeing grow over the years is Andys Man Club. Andys man club is a charity that is dedicated to helping men, having support groups up and down the country, both face to face and online!

I highly recommend them to any man that is going through atough time, the best part is you do NOT have to go and talk, you can go and listen to others. There is no pressure, and you can develop new friendships that last a lifetime.

Andys man club run support groups every Monday at 7pm. I ask, that if you are struggling, please do not be afraid to approach them if you are not comfortable going to your friends or family, or you feel that they may not understand, or if you feel you need additional support. You are not alone even though sometimes it may feel like it.

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