Movember: how you can support men's health

As part of Movember, we are sharing the experiences of male colleagues who have reached out to our service when they need support. 

“The Keeping Well Service can help people with what they are going through” - says NHS worker

Marcus, an NHS worker had feelings of low self-esteem and confidence. In his role as an NHS support and recovery worker, working with children and young people struggling in school. Marcus started to struggle with his feelings.

"I didn’t know such services existed but my first contact with [a Keeping Well practitioner] really helped me understand that they can help me. The service can really help people with what they are going through." Read Marcus' full story here. 

When Ron began feeling isolated, low and suffering from tiredness, he reached out to the Keeping Well Service.

Ron works as an Employment Specialist for the Community Mental Health Team in Hillingdon in CNWL. In this role, he uses his lived experience as a recovering alcoholic and drug addict to help others to return to work and get support but during the pandemic he felt ‘very frightened and anxious of a relapse’ during lockdown. He was told about the Keeping Well Service by his manager. Read Ron's full story here. 

"I found it difficult to juggle work commitments and his personal life"

Massimo Pamitsch, Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist for the Ealing Talking Therapies Service shared his experience using the Keeping Well Service.He said: “Lockdown added a different level of stress to my life. I felt my life had become just work and I felt trapped. All my hobbies were taken away I didn't have any possibility of seeing the people I love other than remotely.

I was starting to get a sense, of what was coming, you know, the signs start to be familiar not really feeling like getting up in the morning, feeling overwhelmed by the workload.”

Get involved

Here are few things you can get involved with this Movember:

• ‘Movember Conversations’ gives you the confidence to have conversations with the men in your life who might be struggling.
• Grow a moustache - your face will raise funds and awareness for men’s health.
• Move for Movember - Run or walk 60km over the month. That’s 60km for the 60 men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour across the world.
• Host a mo-ment - Rally a crew and do something fun and easy, virtual or in person. Hosting is all about having a good time for a good cause.