Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, November 2025 – It is important to get Men talking!

Men’s Mental Health awareness is rapidly increasing in the UK, Find out in this blog why it is so important to get men talking!

In the UK, Men’s Mental Health Awareness month takes place each November, with International Men’s Day being on 19th November. It is also Movember, which is a global campaign that encourages men to talk about their health and take care of themselves, often shown through men growing moustaches to raise awareness.

Why is it important to raise awareness about Men’s Mental Health?

• Four in five suicides are by men, with suicide the biggest cause of death for men under 35
• 43% of working British men are urging their employers to provide greater mental health support.
• 50% of men have struggled with mental health difficulties, but less than half have asked for medical advice.
• Less than one in three men confides in their partner (30%), family (26%) or friends (24%) when facing mental health difficulties.

(Bupa Wellbeing)

Men may hide their Mental Health problems due to:

• Social Expectation – gender norms give stereotypes of what it is like to be masculine, society has projected a stigma that men showing there feelings are seen as ‘weak’ or ‘feminine’
• Responses from peers – men are often told to ‘Man Up’ and young men, especially in schools, can be bullied or tormented.
• Race – due to systemic racism, black men are more likely to hide their mental health struggles, are more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Signs to look out for that the men in your life may be struggling:

• Persistent sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness.​

• Anger, irritability, or aggressiveness.​

• Difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and extreme fatigue.​

• Substance misuse ​

• Sudden social withdrawal
• Changes in appetite.

Reducing stigma and promoting healthy conversations between men in workplaces, families, and communities helps men feel safer to seek help. Treatment is effective: men can recover with therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and support groups.

How to start a conversation with a man about their mental health:

1. Find a relaxed informal setting, somewhere the man you are talking to is familiar of and feels comfortable in
2. Use open body language, make eye contact and show your willingness to listen and have a conversation
3. Use phrases such as ‘I have noticed…’ or ‘You don’t seem like yourself’ or ‘I am here for you if you want to talk’
4. Ask open questions such as ‘What is challenging you’
5. Be open with your own experiences if it’s a scenario where you can be vulnerable
6. Most importantly be patient and give the person time to trust your good intentions

Find Support:

Here are some services to signpost to yourself or any men in your life who may be struggling with their mental health

Andy’s Man Club – men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online.  ANDYSMANCLUB – It’s Okay To Talk

Men Who Talk – Free, online social groups helping men talk about what matters, without judgment. Men Who Talk | Men’s Mental Health Charity UK

Men’s Prosperity Club – a free mental health support space dedicated to men seeking peer support, personal growth and community connection in Birmingham Mental Health Support Group Birmingham | Men’s Prosperity Club

This Mens Mental Health month take care of yourselves and the men in your life 💗

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC run weekly Keep Dancing classes, suitable for older adults across, Birmingham, Solihull, Walsall, Sandwell and online. Keep Dancing will teach you dances from around the world with no need for a dance partner. Find your nearest Keep Dancing class here.     

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC also runs classes to support carers in Birmingham thanks to Funding from Forward Carers CIC. Find out more about our Keep Dancing for carers here

If you enjoyed reading 5 Effective Benefits of Ballet Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health, you might want to consider reading 5 Effective Benefits of Street Dance for your Physical and Mental Health

To find out more about Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC follow us on Facebook.     

Thank you for taking the time to read 5 Effective Benefits of Ballet Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health. we can’t wait to be pirouetting with you in our Keep Dancing classes!

Keep Dancing 💃