Suicide Prevention Month

It’s currently Suicide Prevention Month in the UK and we wanted to take a moment to focus on this and offer some potentially useful resources that could be of help to you. It's been a difficult year for everyone so far with COVID having a huge impact on the world and people's mental health, so we feel it is more important now than ever to bring it to the fore. 

The lock and door hardware industry is a largely male sector and it is more often than not men who are the least able to get help for their struggles. Growing up, men are often told to “man up” and that showing emotion makes them weak or less masculine. These comments and beliefs have only led to reinforce mental health as something of a taboo subject for men, with many worried about others perception of them if they were to reach out for help.

How often when you ask a man how he’s doing will he reply with a, “Yeah, not bad, can’t complain”? Men very rarely discuss their emotions or feelings, even with their closest friends. As a man, speaking from personal experience, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times, I or one of my closest male friends have really discussed our feelings or emotions.

We’re currently in the midst of a mental health crisis in the UK and with males making up 75% of the recorded suicides, it is time to make a change and re-program the way we think about mental health. Suicide is the most common cause of death in men under the age of 40 and it doesn’t make a man stronger to not talk about their feelings – in fact taking the initiative and talking about things takes much more strength of character than not doing it.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at a few resources that could be of help to you.

CALM

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM is trying to change this by providing men with the help they need, whether this is through phone conversations, online chat, meetup groups, football matches and other social activities.

Happify App

Happify is a great little app that uses games and activities to improve mood and help prevent bad habits. With its psychologist-approved mood-training program, the Happify app is your fast-track to a good mood. Try various engaging games, activity suggestions, gratitude prompts and more to train your brain as if it were a muscle, to overcome negative thoughts.

Exercise

This one is tried and tested and one that almost everyone can vouch for. Physical activity has a huge potential to enhance our wellbeing. Even a short burst of 10 minutes' brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood. Participation in regular physical activity can increase our self-esteem and can reduce stress and anxiety.

Samaritans

The Samaritans have been helping people for almost 70 years now and there is always someone on the other end of the phone if you need them. The Samaritans provide free, off-the-record mental health to support to anyone who needs it. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, but aren’t able to talk to family and friends, The Samaritans can be that person for you.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness, living in the moment, not dwelling on the past or future – whatever you want to call it, paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.

There are apps, such as Headspace which can help you with mindfulness, or it can be as a simple as stopping to enjoy the good things in life, whether that’s a moment with a loved one, a walk in the countryside, an achievement at work or even a nice cold beer on a Friday evening – taking a moment to cherish things and be present in that moment can be a great mood booster.

Take Those First Steps

Taking that first step towards helping yourself is the most difficult, but once you get started, you will feel a lot better. There’s always someone to talk to and you are not alone in the way you feel. If you're worried about a friend, reach out to them and make sure that they know it's okay to not feel your best all the time and that you are there for them to talk to.