Men’s mental health and general health matters.
If you’re considering self-harm right now, friends, get help. You’re worth it. And the people in your life are counting on you.
Call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find more resources to help you cope with mental health difficulties.
Introduction
This workshop helps men share their experiences and learn how to build resilience.
As someone living with bipolar disorder, I share my story to reduce stigma and equip men to move beyond coping to true resilience. Think of just coping as being like a rubber band that’s pulled tight. While resilience is a rubber band that adapts its shape as needed.
Defining Resilience
The dictionary defines resilience as the ability to bounce back from setbacks. But my friend Sam Cawthorn has a different approach. The title of his book on resilience1 captures his philosophy: bounce forward.
When you bounce back, the idea is you go back to the way life was before the crisis as quickly as you can. When you bounce forward, you seek to learn from your obstacles and make changes so you don’t replicate the circumstances that led to the crisis. Think of it as prevention and thriving.
Men’s health is key to dealing with the common issues you face. We’ll define resilience and contrast it with basic coping strategies. Research shows men can strengthen factors like self-care, social support, relationships, and emotional flexibility.
Assessing Your Resilience
Participants will complete assessments to evaluate current resilience abilities. Exercises provoke reflection on unhelpful thought patterns or behaviours that sabotage mental and physical health.
Building Resilience Skills
Together, we’ll build targeted skills to manage challenges in family life in a mentally healthy way. This includes lifestyle changes, relaxation practices, setting boundaries, developing self-compassion, and more.
Overcoming Barriers as Men
We’ll cover ways to overcome obstacles young men face with mental health, such as stigma, emotional ignorance, and the need to seem tough.
My Lived Experience with Bipolar
In sharing my diagnosis story, I aim to break down stigma and foster hope. I provide details of my journey and strategies/resources that helped me build resilience. I don’t just end with my diagnosis. I share how I learned strategies and tools to increase my chances of staying well over the long term. I took care of myself, then helped a loved one when she needed me.
Insights for Stability
I offer insights into maintaining stability, emotional wellbeing, and wellness despite an ongoing mental health condition. These include the importance of treatment, healthy routines, communication, and self-compassion. I also stay current with the latest research, such as the power of green spaces in preventing bipolar2.
Men’s health includes other factors like taking steps to prevent heart disease, getting enough sleep, and setting realistic goals.
Resilience As an Ongoing Process
My story underscores that developing resilience requires commitment and courage. With greater openness, help-seeking skills, coping tools, and peer support, men can access the resources they need to thrive.
Creating a Resilience Action Plan
Attendees will create personal resilience plans and take actionable steps after the workshop.
Fostering Open Conversations About Mental Health Issues
Men will leave feeling empowered, informed, and motivated rather than ashamed or alone. Improved mental health literacy and coping skills positively impact the lives of individuals, families, workplaces, and communities. And men will make connections with other men at the workshop.
Check my availability to present my interactive men’s mental health resilience workshop. Visit my contact page for booking.
Resources: Support is There If You Need It
Mental health issues are tough. It can be hard talking about it with the people in your life. Here is a list of support services3 you can talk to about mental illness and what you’re going through.
| Name | Contact | Description |
| Lifeline | 13 11 14 or online chat | A national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. |
| MensLine Australia | 1300 78 99 78 or online counselling | A free telephone and online counselling service offering support for Australian men anywhere, anytime. They can help with issues such as relationship breakdown, family violence, emotional wellbeing, addiction, stress and more. |
| Dads In Distress | 1300 853 437 or website | A peer support group for separated dads who are feeling distressed or suicidal. They offer telephone helpline, online forum, face-to-face support groups and other services. |
| Beyond Blue | 1300 22 4636 or online chat | A national organisation that provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live. They can help with depression, anxiety, suicide prevention and other mental health issues. |