Mental Health Awareness

This post is all about the importance of your mental health and well being. I am truly passionate about this subject and it is something we all need to be aware of and we should all be able to recognise the clear signs of someone going through mental health problems.

Mental health is just as important as your physical health and here’s the reasons why;

.To enhance productivity - the more you work on your mental health, the more focussed and productive you become.

.To cope with stress - Coping with stress becomes easier when you have a stable mind

.To live life to the fullest - Life is well lived if you are happy and content.

.To attain a positive self image - gain confidence and positivity by maintaining your mental health.

.To create & maintain healthy relationships - Meeting others and having conversations stimulates your mind and helps to express yourself.

Remember your Mental Health effects your overall physical health.

This blog covers the links between Barbering and Mental Health Awareness and the amazing organisations helping to support others.

At the eclectic barber my vision was always to build a strong community and create a personal 1:1 environment for people to express themselves.

I want customers to enjoy their experience, have a laugh but also feel relaxed enough to get away from the day to day stresses that can really impact people‘s mental health.

In my role as a lecturer we also work alongside the lions barber collective, which is a charity organisation run by an inspiring individual Tom Chapman which helps create awareness of mental health.

The lions barbers objective;

To raise awareness for mental wellbeing and suicide prevention. Encouraging barbers to create a safe place for men to open up and offload and be able to signpost to already existing charities and organisations.

In college the learners are encouraged to identify mental health needs, especially within Men as men really struggle to open up and express themselves.

By creating a safe place this enables and encourages people to be open and honest with no preconceptions or judgement.

The vision is to break the stigma around mental health and create awareness while helping support those in need and build a strong community.

As human beings it’s in our nature to connect to others, it gives us an opportunity to feel heard, understood and creates a strong sense of belonging.

Four in five suicides are by men - suicide is the biggest cause of death for men under 35

As part of the lions barber collective and academy we are trained to ;

1. Recognise

Recognise any signs of suicidal thoughts, depression, self harm or mental health.

2. Ask

Talk to their client in the right manner in order to let them know it is ok to talk and make them feel comfortable with sharing

3. Listen

Truly listen to what they have to say taking in every detail.

4. Help to Help

Signpost people on to the correct help whether it comes from a national or local organisation.

Lionsbarbers - Barbertalk Mission

Through the lions barbers training they aim to arm barbers with the knowledge of how to spot clients suffering with mental health and be the support that person needs.

Barber Talk Book

"The idea is not to make barbers into counsellors or psychiatrists but with the aid of our four pillars of BarberTalk, RECOGNISE, ASK, LISTEN and HELP we can bridge the gap between the communities we serve and the resources that are available while providing a safe non-judgemental safe space to share, open up and or offload and most importantly help save lives."

The 1.7 Million Haircut is available on Amazon Prime really interesting watch & explains the work of the lions barber collective in more detail. Check it out.

Watching Tom's Ted Talk was the pinnacle of wanting to be part of such incredible organisation, following his journey and the impactful change the lions barber collective has had on the industry.

Tom explains how his response to a personal tragedy helped him affect real social change and make a powerful impact on the lives of those around him.

I believe strongly in finding a key balance for wellbeing, outlining three key values:

Happiness

Get hold of the things that bring you joy.

Achievement

This could be as basic as getting up and dressed to a more challenging exercise routine; however small the task, overcoming a challenge is tremendously beneficial.

Closeness + Connection

Humans are born for connection, so it is important to interact with family members and friends as much as possible.

I hope this blog inspires others and encourages people to open up, raise awareness of mental health but most importantly help build a strong community to support others.