International Men’s Day 19th November 2022
18/11/2022
“Dance is a universal and non-judgemental language, which allows people to connect and express themselves fully.”
International Men's Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. The theme for 2022 is “Helping Men & Boys.” That help comes in many forms but today we are writing about mental health.
Did you know 1 in 8 men will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. Men are also 3 times more likely to take their own life than women with suicide being the highest cause of death in young males between the age of 24 and 45.
In January 2021 Samaritans engaged with a group of 27 men across the UK and ROI through workshops to explore which activities and initiatives might support men’s wellbeing before they reached a crisis. And through this discovered that many of the men they spoke to were not drawn to stereotypically ‘male’ activities, however, they did gravitate towards hobby-based activities focused on meeting general wellbeing needs, rather than formal mental health or crisis services.
Studies have shown that alongside the physical health benefits, dancing also has many positive effects on mental wellbeing and has been proven to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, ease depression and increase endorphins; the feel-good chemicals that trigger a positive feeling in the body!
During his time on Strictly Come Dancing, Arsenal football legend Tony Adams MBE wanted to shed light on “Mental Health and addiction awareness” and professed that “Dancing is really fantastic for you. Go out there and enjoy it and pick up new skills and explore."
Male dancers are a precious commodity. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Patrick Swayze, John Travolta, Channing Tatum… need we go on?? Even if you haven’t got all of the moves… there’s still a line of women waiting to dance! Why not even book onto one of our dance holidays to help a lady off a waiting list?!
“Dancing is the art of getting your feet out of the way faster than your partner can step on them.”
If you’re struggling and don’t know where to turn, please visit any of the below websites and don’t be afraid to speak up.
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/
