#8 Breaking the Silence: Men's Mental Health Matters

This conversation delves into the critical topic of men's mental health, exploring the various factors that negatively impact it, including social stigma, reluctance to seek help, emotional suppression, and work-related stress. The discussion emphasizes the importance of treatment options such as therapy, lifestyle changes, and the role of social support. I encourage men to seek help, embrace vulnerability, and rely on God for healing and strength.

Source: Men's Mental Health | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA 

Instagram and TikTok: @pespinoza.cyc

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Chapters

• 1:10 Understanding the Impact on Men's Health
• 6:44 Social Stigma and Emotional Suppression
• 10:47 Work-Related Stress and Substance Use
• 12:10 Relationship Strain and Cultural Barriers
• 15:18 Exploring Treatment Options
• 18:47 Lifestyle Changes for Mental Wellness
• 22:16 Mindfulness and Social Support
• 26:08 Education and Awareness in Mental Health

Transcript

Hey everyone. Last episode was about men's health and fitness. And I discussed the benefits to living a healthy life, what to pursue in terms of your physical as well as your mental health and practices to pursue, what to do to manage stress, how to exercise, how to eat right. Well, there was a small

undertone of mental health in that episode and I figured that I would expand on that idea in this episode. So this episode is going to emphasize a man's mental health and going to talk about the causes a man's mental health in terms of what impacts a man's health.

and we'll also talk about treatment. And then of course I have verses to back up the claims in this episode. But to get started, I want to read a quick statistic. It states, nearly one in 10 men experience depression or anxiety, but less than half will receive treatment. And more than four times as many men as women die by suicide every year.

That's something to think about. So keep that in mind. But let's start with the question, what impacts a man's health? All right, so the first thing that comes to mind is social stigma and gender expectations. So men are pressured to suppress emotions and appear strong, making it harder to ask for help. how many of us men listening

can attest to this claim that society and culture pressured us men to suppress our emotions and appear strong, making it harder to ask for help.

So this is basically saying that you have to be strong, you have to be bulletproof and nearly emotionless to survive. And if you deviate from that route, from that idea, then just aren't good enough. Or you're ostracized for asking for help or showing any bit of weakness.

Right? So that's number one. Number two, reluctance to seek help. So like I was saying, right? Fear of judgment and embarrassment prevents many men from seeking therapy.

the ego is a beautiful thing, right? It can get us out of sticky situations. It puts us in fight or flight and it can act as a defense mechanism, but it can also be our biggest weakness because fear of judgment and embarrassment prevents many men from seeking therapy. Well,

Let me support this with scripture. So I want to pull from Matthew 11, 28 to 30, and that states, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light. So Jesus invites us to come to him with our burdens, promising rest and relief.

So it's important to do exactly what the scripture says. Come to Jesus. Well, not what the scripture says, but actually what Jesus tells us to do. So come to Jesus, right? Everyone who is labored and heavy laden, because only in him can we find rest for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

So forget the judgment, forget the embarrassment, forget the idea of you not being able to ask for help or feel vulnerable.

Jesus breaks all those chains. So come to Jesus and lay down your burdens and He will you rest and relief.

number three, emotional suppression. Internalizing feelings leads to stress and anxiety, often showing up as physical symptoms. So I want to pull from 1 Peter 5, 7, casting all your care upon him he cares for you. So this encourages us

to give all our worries to God, trusting that he cares deeply for us. Again, so this parallels the last verse that I shared with you, but yes, we do need to trust that God cares deeply for us. And we need to give all our worries to God. 1 Peter 5.7 suggests.

Because what I've learned is that if we continuously suppress our feelings, they get stored in our nervous system as negative energy and that actually manifests itself in physical symptoms. And those symptoms aren't positive. They're actually negative symptoms that actually affect your physiology. So,

have to cast our burdens to God.

The next point is lack of support systems. This one's big, right? So limited emotional support networks can increase feelings of isolation.

So don't do life alone, Life was never intended to be done alone. So get with a friend, with a group, surround yourself with like-minded people that are the same way as you, that have the same interests, that have the same hobbies, the same values, because...

If you don't surround yourself with like-minded people or people who will support you, then you can quickly go down a dark road. And that's not what you want to do. We want to be part of a support team, a support network. And if you go to church, join a small group. So go to a church that supports and advocates for small groups.

I know the church that I go to, Fellowship Church, Antioch, California. It's a huge advocate of small groups. And this past Sunday was actually a small group Sunday where there was bunch of tabling at the church and there was kinds of different types of small groups. I mean, it ranges from basketball to to

evangelism to men's small groups, to women's small groups, cooking small groups, all kinds of things. But the idea is that small groups promote community, they promote support systems, teams, people who are there to support you and do life with you.

The next point is work-related stress. So this is a huge one. Pressure to be the primary provider can lead to burnout and anxiety. So of course, as men, we are trained and conditioned, understandably, to be the sole breadwinner our family. And

Every marriage is different if you and your wife have come to terms with who's going to be the primary worker in the family and who's going to be the stay at home parent. More often than not, the husband is the one working while the wife is at home. But every arrangement is different. So if you're married, you know, have that conversation with your wife about who is going to do which.

And also there's arrangements where both parents are working. Right. And not saying there's any one one arrangement or one option that is better than the next. But have that conversation with your partner and communicate, you know, what roles are going to be executed. And really, if if the both communicate

then it creates a conducive environment to raise kids and build a family. So communication's key. But yes, stress can be another one for sure.

substance use and coping So many men turn to alcohol or drugs worsening mental health issues so if a man has mental health issues that have pre-existed before substance use the substance actually exacerbates the mental health and So I want to pull from Psalm 42 11 it states why?

are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God." So this verse reminds us to place our hope in God even when we feel downcast or discouraged.

So even with this verse, we're starting to notice a theme and that's to place our complete trust and hope in God and to bring our burden to him, our worries, our anxiety, our depression, our self doubt and give it all to him, right? But it's only, it's only through our faith that

we will start to see lasting change. The next point, relationship and family strain. So, you know, when it comes to relationships, whether that's a friendship, a romantic relationship, or even when it comes to family, this can also cause in our personal life. It can cause mental, even physical strain.

And so relationship difficulties can cause feelings of failure and emotional distress.

The next point, cultural barriers and norms. So, cultural norms prevent men from seeking mental health care or talking openly about it.

Like I said in the beginning, one of the biggest ones. That culture has conditioned us to keep our mouth shut, suck it up, and just work your tail off, endure the pain, suffer in silence, things like that.

The next point, negative self-perception. Low self-esteem and unrealistic societal expectations contribute to depression.

So Isaiah 41 10 reads, fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

So here, us of his presence and support, offering strength and help.

And finally, higher risk of suicide. So although women attempt suicide more often than men do, men are more likely to complete suicide. That's because men are more likely to use lethal means in suicide attempts, leading to higher fatality rates.

may act more impulsively on suicidal thoughts, show fewer warning signs, such as talking about suicide. Yeah, so what really strikes me about this claim is the first line. Although women attempt suicide more often than men do, men are more likely to complete suicide. Yeah, that one got me.

I was never aware of that, but because of the tendencies and impulses that men have, sure, I mean, I could see how that makes sense.

Let's talk about treatment. So here are some tried and true ways to treat mental health issues depression. So obviously the first form of treatment is therapy and counseling. So cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, can...

take place to address negative thought patterns as well as group therapy for shared support and connection.

So find a therapist, a counselor, and you can speak to them about your problems. I would highly suggest to reach out to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and that is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the ultimate counselor.

And then obviously attend church. So this is my favorite means of treatment. So attending church, you deepen faith and church provides meaning and direction in life and then connect with other men to foster personal growth through accountability.

Accountability is a big one. Sometimes we don't even know that we're the problem ourselves unless somebody points that out, right? So if that is the case, join a church, get together with the guys so can point out your flaws constructively. They don't need to be jerks about it, but they need to point out your flaws constructively.

Or if you notice that someone in your group or in your circle is the one struggling, be that person that is a light in their life. So you want to support them and help them advocate for them in a constructive way, not a judgmental way. So I want to pull from Psalm 34, 17 to 18, and it says,

The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. So this passage reminds us that God is close to us when we are hurting and provides comfort and salvation to those who reach out to him.

So if you're a man, if you're a woman that's hurting, depressed, has anxiety, you have a physical impairment or condition, it's time to get vulnerable and speak with God. So check your ego at the door, let down your guard, bring down your walls and reach out to God because he is

the mighty counselor, the Prince of Peace. So it would be in your best interest to reach out to the one who created you and the one has your best interest at heart.

Another form of treatment can be lifestyle changes. So like I stated in my last episode, this point still rings true. So regular exercise to improve your mood and reduce stress. mean, exercise across the board is a surefire way to improve your mood, to reduce stress, to...

relieve your anxiety and depression. So definitely regular exercises of must.

And then a balanced diet and proper sleep hygiene to support overall mental health. Sleep is a big one. Sleep can alleviate a lot of problems. can help you in the recovery process mentally and physically. It can reduce inflammation, get your pressure levels back to normal.

It really just revitalizes you. So sleep's a big one and obviously having a balanced diet is as well.

Mindfulness and relaxation techniques. article

Basically listed meditation and yoga as these techniques of mindfulness, but as a believer, as a Christian, I'm not going to recommend these things because these two things, so meditation and yoga, in my opinion, are new age and they can lead darker paths that were not really meant to go. But

I will agree with the deep breathing technique and instead of meditation and yoga, I highly recommend prayer. So ditch the meditation, but give yourself up in prayer. So definitely prayer and fasting is something that I recommend over meditation and yoga.

Mindfulness practices to increase emotional awareness and reduce So sure mindfulness, you know, we have to be we have to be aware of our surroundings aware of the five senses and Engaging the five senses at all times or picking a period of time to do that so sure, this is okay, but

I would still recommend prayer and fasting for these different techniques.

I want to pull from Philippians 4, 6 to 7. And this encourages us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So this passage urges us to bring our worries to God in prayer, trusting that his peace will protect and uplift us.

So being anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. Supplication just means to for something. I was wondering what that word meant, but it actually means to beg for something. So this verse is indicating that we obviously need to pray, but we need to pray intensely and to pray with thanksgiving in our hearts.

And social support is another form of treatment. So this is widely known and this is a, way to, to relieve mental health issues. So social support, when we talk about social support, we're, talking about building strong relationships with family and friends.

for emotional support.

So build those strong relationships with friends and family. Talk to these people because these are people that you can confide in. These are people that you want to pick wisely, most likely have gone through the same type of circumstance that you currently find yourself in. So these can be great mentors.

And then on that mentorship piece, participating in support groups or peer networks is also a great way to relieve symptoms. So really it's just all about finding people who are going that same direction in you. I don't want to belabor that point, but I can't stress it finding a good

support and peer network. Trying out small groups, finding close friend that you can do life that can hold you accountable, that can teach you different things, and a small group. I mean, these are all ways to improve your mental health.

moving forward.

stress management. So time management techniques to reduce stress. Hobbies and activities that promote relaxation and personal So we all know we have a better idea more or less about what manages our stress the best.

So it's important that we do these things to relieve our stress, whether it's from a work day, whether it's from something that happened in your personal life, family, friend, can be financial stress, can be marital stress, relational stress, whatever the case may be. So we all have that vice, that's something that we can turn to.

that will relieve our stress. hoping and praying that this vice is a positive one. But again, if I were you, I would turn to God burdens onto him.

And then ultimately education and awareness. Psychoeducation about mental health to reduce stigma and improve understanding. Engaging in workshops or seminars on stress, mental wellness, and self care.

So it's important for us to understand our mental wellness. It's important for us to engage in self-care, to attend seminars or even workshops about stress, or watch videos about this stuff. TED Talks are a good place to start. It's also good to understand that there are stigmas around mental health.

but understanding those stigmas and nipping them in the bud to improve understanding is you want to be. It's where you want to start.

So friends, these are all different ways to treat your mental I highly recommend to cast your burdens onto God, to believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord and Savior because he is the mighty counselor. He is the Prince of Peace.

He is the one that created us and is the one that will fight for us. again, guys, it's blood sacrifice even have the privilege to live the lives that we live today. So I highly recommend that you don't deviate from You don't

deviate from the faith and delve into different new age, new thought practices because those are definitely a thing and they are alive and well, but

I know who the one true God is I know what he's done for us. I know what he will continue to do for us and I know that he will guide and protect us. So cast your burdens onto him and believe in and love Jesus Christ with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul.

So guys, this was pulled from Men's Mental Health, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, or otherwise known as

link will be in the description below for you guys to examine this article a little more and read off on the different information that's in it. I hope this provided some sort of a direction toward improving and overcoming your mental health situation. I hope that this provides guidance and a roadmap to

become a better version of you and don't Jesus Christ our Lord all your heart, mind and soul. That's all I got for you guys today. for listening and I'll see you in the next one.