The Power Up #5: Masculinity, Mind & Movement

We keep hearing that masculinity is in crisis.

Male suicide rates have increased to three to four times higher than the female rate. Men are twice as likely as women to become alcoholics. And males are far more likely to commit juvenile crime.

There are many potential contributing factors, but what we need as men isn’t so much to analyse and look for places to point a finger of blame. 

We need help and solutions. 

Which is why I was pleased to find this piece by Benjamin Hardy that puts forward practical suggestions such as increasing physical activity, journal writing, commitment to growth and raising levels of consciousness. 

If you, or any of your male friends are struggling, or seem stuck in a negative cycle, this piece could well shift their perspective or help them out of a rut. 

Staying on the theme of masculinity, this excellent video by writer and journalist Aniefiok Ekpoudom explores how the themes of young men grappling with their identity as men are prominent throughout Netflix TV series TOP BOY.

From Sully’s shame at facing his daughter after years in prison, to Jamie being thrust into a parental role for his two younger brothers, to Dushayne’s inability to have an honest conversation with his mother whilst he is hellbent on climbing back to ‘the top’, there is so much at play.

It’s a detailed analysis and well worth a watch if you were gripped by the show as I was. 

Get ready to have your mind blown (pun intended).

It turns out that a lot of the theories we think we know about how our mind works aren’t actually true. 

From the ‘10,000 hours of practice’ theory, to auditory / visual / kinaesthetic learning, to the five stages of grief, and seven more, this piece from Psychology Today debunks some of the longest established and commonly accepted beliefs. 

If you know me well you’ll know I am a passionate yogi, practicing at least three times each week. 

My Yoga practice  is an essential and powerful part of my weekly routine, helping keep me in shape both physically and mentally. It’s an important complement to whatever other sporting goals I’m pursuing, and what can be, at times, a high-stress job.

Yet despite it’s myriad benefits, I still find my yoga classes 90% full of women. Where are all the men? Don’t they know what they’re missing? I often find myself wondering. 

If you find yourself in the category of yoga-curious here’s a piece from the Man Body Spirit blog that might help you with the nudge you need.

Whether you do it consciously or not, your energy (or lack of) impacts your environment and the people you interact with. All day long.

This short, thought-provoking piece highlights the importance of cultivating self awareness of the way your presence effects others.

For as the writer explains, when two or more people occupy the same room, your presence sparks physical changes in the other(s). 

Work hard to ensure those changes are positive.