November 19th is International Men’s Day, a global awareness event which intends to recognise men’s positive contributions while shining a light on issues facing men and boys, such as mental health challenges and stigma, suicide, and homelessness.
This year, Horton Housing is using ‘Movember’ and International Men’s Day to facilitate conversations and break down stigma about men’s mental health. Nobody should be suffering in silence, but too many men feel that they cannot speak about the challenges they are facing, or access mental health care, due to stigma and stereotypes.
This International Men’s Day, we are putting a spotlight on Horton Housing colleague Stephen Hill’s important project within our Substance Tenancy & Resettlement Scheme (STARS). Stephen is a Housing Support Worker who created a men’s circle for the men we support in STARS, inspired by his own mental health journey.
Here’s what Stephen had to say:
“I decided to start running a men’s circle for people we support at STARS because I see a need for it. I have experienced my own emotional challenges in life, and men’s groups were a huge part of me overcoming and understanding some of these challenges. After some years of attending men’s groups, such as Men’s Rites of Passage, and local groups, I began to run my own men’s circle in a community centre. They would last around 3 hours and be in-depth emotional work.
My circles are not so intense. Men often have different levels of what they can process emotionally, so I have to be mindful and move at a pace they are comfortable with. However, just being in that setting, being heard by your peers and hearing the similar challenges of other men, can have a strong positive impact on their well-being.
It is my belief that we store unprocessed emotion, and this can cause a lot of our unwanted anxieties and mental health challenges. “Depression is an unmet grief”, is a quote by Gabor Maté that rings very true for me. If I can have even a small impact by making a space where men feel safe enough to talk about the challenges they face, and even to touch upon the emotions they don’t process in day-to-day life, then this will be a success for me.
My hope is that we can address some of the underlying issues that keep men in unhealthy patterns.”
At Horton Housing, we create healthy communities by supporting people in their personal journeys and facilitating safe environments where everyone can open up and be heard.