Help us raise awareness for this special month by talking to the men in your life about holistic health. Staying healthy certainly includes diet and exercise, but is so much more. Here, we promote health for the WHOLE person, and want to invite men to be curious about their health. How are you staying mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy? What are your limitations and obstacles? In what areas do you feel you are excelling?
Many men have a convoluted relationship with vulnerability, especially when it comes to success and failure. For some, choices are driven by a fixation on success or a fear of failure. These motivations can often lead to stress, "The space between unrealistic expectations and the limitations of reality." It's important to view ourselves and others through a well balanced lens of perception.
What we need to remember is that creating space to tolerate discomforting thoughts and feelings in our lived experience is incredibly important. This space allows us to be resilient in both the mental and emotional experience. Stressors do not go away, they simply manifest differently - changing their mask and presentation from time to time.
Our spirit, or core strength, helps us navigate these stressors, even in the most difficult times. My reference to spirituality is in regard to the acknowledgement and connection to something larger than the self. This may or may not include a religious deity. Religion is more specifically the rules and guidelines one follows to maintain connection with spiritual connection. These rules and guidelines differ from person to person or group to group. Here, I'm referring to a healthy awareness that we are all connected - to each other, to the Earth, to the universe, etc.
Sometimes, the most obvious form of health is physical. Many people set goals and expectations for themselves the 31st of each December, in hopes for feeling better. Unfortunately, most of these people lose touch with these goals. Rather than feeling defeated and giving up, perhaps this is an area where curiosity would be useful. What's actually getting in the way? What can you control, and what can you let go? Physical health is often affected by spiritual, mental, and emotional health. In fact, all of the above are impacted by the other. Think of an electrical circuit. If something is miswired in the network, the entire system is affected.
So, as we enter into summer, let's remind ourselves to be aware of holistic health; maintaining balance between physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This message is for everyone, regardless of gender; however, Men's Health Network is consciously focusing inviting men to pay attention to the ways in which we choose to live our lives. Let's be healthy for ourselves. Let's also be healthy for those for whom we care, and who care about us.