Men’s Mental Health Week – June 12^th -18^th

It is an annual global opportunity to shine a light on a subject that many will be familiar with, the aim is to raise awareness about some challenges faced by men and boys around the world.

WM Brokers understand the importance of optimal health from a physical and mental perspective, our intentions are always to empower our employees with information and services to promote mental well-being.

Our Managing Director David McGowan has kindly agreed to share some of his thoughts on mental well-being along with how he maintains balance on a daily basis.

2 in 5 men admit to regularly feeling worried or low, which is an increase on 37% from 2009. Would you seek help if you felt things were getting on top of you?

For me finding the time to seek help would hinder this. However, I know how important this is to me and my family so I would, eventually, get some help. If I’m being honest, I think it would take some persuasion from my wife before I did this.

When it comes to balancing your personal and professional life to meet the demands of your position – What tools do you use to maintain good mental well-being?

I try and exercise and make time to exercise, this is a good mental health tool. I run and play tennis at the moment and this has also widened my friend circle. Mainly though I try and make sure I am there with my family; however you could say the pressure to keep everyone happy increases my stress. Otherwise, I always need something to look forward to and this is usually a break away with my family where we have quality time and usually a good laugh.

With mental health in mind, what has been your biggest challenge (professionally or personally) and how did you overcome it?

Making time for me, myself. I spend too much time thinking about work and actually working. I am aware of this and I am in the process of making sure that I have some time to reflect what I want to do and where I want to go.

How important is company culture to you and what measures are taken to promote healthy and open communication within the company?

I am super keen on the company culture to evolve around mental health and for it to be openly discussed in the office and out of the office. It is too easy to say that ‘I am fine’ or ‘I am sure they are ok, they are probably tired’ etc whereas if we stop and spend of bit of time asking more questions we can really help each other. Understanding more of what people are going through either in or out of work really helps you understand why people are the way they are.

Let’s talk more about this, let make it not a taboo subject! Let’s all realise that we have one go on this planet and it is there to be enjoyed, but we must look after ourselves and each other to be able to do this.