Men should foster supportive relationships, manage stress with hobbies, follow a daily skincare routine, and maintain a balanced diet with fresh produce and hydration.
What would be your advice to men to prioritize their mental health?
I would say first and foremost is to find relationships where you can be vulnerable and supported. There is a stigma around men sharing their feelings but maintaining open communication and fostering supportive relationships as a priority (while having to leave behind some unfortunately!) has really helped my emotional well-being. As well, finding hobbies where I could really “tune out” like cooking and running has helped reduce stress and my anxiety. Finally, prioritizing treating my mental health daily and understanding that it needs to be focused on regularly (similar to my physical health!) has allowed me to be less irritable and anxious. Examples of how I have prioritized my mental health daily is having 8 hours of sleep, finding purpose through community daily (whether it be phone or text), and meditation/prayer.
What’s your daily skincare routine like?
In an ideal world, I would love to be able to do a 10-step skincare routine for both morning and evening daiy; however, time is always of the essence and my life does not permit this regularly unfortunately! Skincare for me has helped my mental health as it’s my alone time for me to prioritize me. In the mornings my skincare routine includes a toner (I don’t use a cleanser in the morning – only in the evening!), hyaluronic acid serum, vitamin c serum (for those dark spots and hyperpigmentation), moisturizer, then I finish off with sunscreen. Sunscreen I would say is the most important step of ones morning routine! Also, you have to make sure you reapply every 2 hours! For the evenings, I use a cleanser (to ensure all my sunscreen is off), toner, retinol cream, eye cream, and finish off with a moisturizer. If I have time in the evenings, I like to treat myself to a face mask as well!
Can you share some tips for men to maintain a balanced diet?
My greatest tip is to prioritize grocery shopping. By doing this, it has helped me to purchase fresh produce, remove the temptation of eating out, and it has helped on the wallet as well! Also, finding meals that are not too restrictive is key as I find restricting yourself can result in an unhealthy relationship with food (Ex: choosing good carbs, not no carbs!). I always make sure I prioritize fruits and vegetables, leaner cuts of meat and fish, high protein foods, and cutting down on saturated fats and sugar. Also, drinking lots of water has been key for me!
