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So today marks the beginning of the Movember movement. A month-long event where many men forego the morning shave and grow a fascinating variety of moustaches and beards. It’s to raise awareness for men’s health issues, both physical and mental.
If you see some men walking around with scraggly moustaches and little furry strips of fluff on their top lip, it’s not a time to mock. It’s a time to recognise that they are raising awareness for men’s health and supporting them on their 30-day journey.
Men’s Health Issues Awareness.
It’s as important to focus on men’s health as it is to focus on women’s and everyone else’s. However, many men traditionally ignore minor symptoms and signs until they become huge problems. Trust me, I’m married to one like this.
Movember is about raising awareness of the specific issues that men face while also reminding men to look after their physical health and engage help (if they need it) for their mental health.
You might not know that in 2020, the suicide rate for men was four times higher than for women in the US.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that suicide represents half of all violent male deaths worldwide.
The stigma attached to seeking help for mental health is still alive and well in specific sectors of the male communities. However, that is beginning to change, and it’s through awareness raising and events like Movember that we get the word out.
“It’s okay, not to be okay. It’s even better to seek help.”
Participating in Movember
Our very dear Spyros, our HR manager, will join the Movember cause and let go of the razor for 30 days – we are all very interested to see what that looks like at the end of the month.
And I will also get my awareness-raising head on this month. Since I can’t grow a moustache (most women can’t), I have agreed to run/walk 60km throughout the month. 60km is in acknowledgement of the 60 men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour, across the world.
However, rather than looking like I’m just out on an evening stroll or a jog, I have agreed to do it wearing a stick-on moustache – and it will be a good one!
I hope you keep in touch with Spyro’s updates (I think he will give us a sneak preview on the 19th of November, International Men’s Day).
Please check us out on social media, and if you want to share your progress, we would be happy to include you!
“Remember, remember, It’s Movember all November!!!
Please check out our piece on Breast Cancer Awareness in October,