Men’s Health Week 2021 exists to raise awareness of health issues affecting men and to encourage men to take part in activities and events that help to educate and engage men about important health issues.
This year has been very challenging for everyone with numerous COVID-19 lockdowns and this has had an impact of everyone’s mental health. The Men’s Health Forum are asking how we can move forward as we come out of what is hopefully the worst of the pandemic. They decided on the Can Do Challenge!
The Men’s Health Week ‘Can Do’ Challenge
The Men’s Health Week 2021 Can Do Challenge is based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing. The idea is that the Men’s Health Forum would like everyone to try a different ‘way to wellbeing’ each day of the week during Men’s Health Week 2021.
How can the 5 Ways to Wellbeing be used every day?
The five ways are:
- Connect – connect with other people (eg. call an old friend you haven’t since before lockdown) #connectmonday
- (Be) Active – move your body (eg. go for a run/walk/swim/dance/etc) – check out the activities we have on our Moving page #activetuesday
- Notice – take notice of the environment around you (eg. turn off your phone for an hour or try some mindfulness practices) #noticewednesday
- Discover – learn something new (eg. read a book you haven’t read before) or learn a new skill #discoverthursday
- Offer (or give) – do something for someone else (eg. volunteer for a local community group) – Find out more about volunteering in Merton #offerfriday
Source: Men’s Health Forum website
Suicide prevention training
According to the Office for National Statistics shockingly almost 3/4 of suicides were by men in England and Wales in 2019. However, suicide is preventable and there is something you can do which could one day save a life. The online Suicide Prevention Training from the Zero Suicide Alliance takes under 30 minutes to complete, but could be life saving to someone. Find out more about Suicide Awareness Training.
Diabetes risk score
Men are at increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes and so it’s important to know your risk score. This way you can see if there are actions you can take to change your lifestyle to reduce your likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Check your Type 2 Diabetes risk score – it could be the best thing you do today!
Further support
If you would like some personalised simple steps to help your mental health then why not visit our Every Mind Matters page and use the Mind Plan tool.
Also, we are here to support people of all genders in Merton so if you feel you would like some help with setting some goals towards a healthier lifestyle, then contact us! You can either register online, e-mail us at oneyou.merton@nhs.net or call us on 020 8973 3545.
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