It is the time of year when men are seen sporting a permanent lip rug all in the name of Charity - It’s Movember.
Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer and testicular cancer – as well as mental health concerns such as stress, depression, and men’s suicide. By encouraging men of all ages to get involved, the Movember movement aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis, and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths.
Although we should be talking about this all year, rather than just November, Movember is a great cause, and the charity is widely recognised for their work. The sponsor money goes towards funding Movember’s four key focus areas – prostate cancer, testicular cancer, physical inactivity, and poor mental health. Mental health issues can affect anyone at any time, but men may find it more difficult to address mental health issues than women - whether by confiding in their loved ones or by seeking medical help. Poor mental health leads to half a million men taking their own life every year. That’s one every minute.
Here’s a few tips from the Movember mental health PDF article “How to Move Beyond Feeling Rubbish”:
1) Talk to someone you trust, especially when things are tough.
2) Get moving. Exercise does great things to your body and mind.
3) Take a break – you don’t need to solve every challenge today, so give yourself some downtime.
4) Get out and do something you enjoy with a friend.
5) If you’ve tried some of these things and still feel bad then talk to a professional for advice and support.
How can you get involved?
You can support the Movember Foundation in several ways. By signing up to grow a moustache and raising sponsorship money, you will also be raising awareness of Movember. You can also host an event, support other mo’ growers, or start a group sponsorship at work or in your community. Find out more and get involved on the Movember website.