Today’s working world is characterized by constant progress. Who doesn’t know it – the smartphone rings non-stop, the number of e-mails in the inbox increases, one appointment follows the next and you are almost permanently available. Digitization in particular increases the pressure to perform and to continuously adapt to changes. Especially when a heavy workload rests on one’s shoulders, physical warning signals are often ignored. You’re probably wondering why this is a men’s health issue. Simply because men are affected differently here by common stereotypes than women, who struggle with stereotypes of their own. Here in this article, we want to focus on men’s health and intentionally create visibility that way.
The availability of drugs for cognitive performance enhancement is particularly tempting nowadays due to the low-threshold procurement structure. However, such drugs are often associated with side effects such as cardiac arrhythmias, anxiety and addiction. In addition, it is becoming increasingly challenging to find a balance between artificially generated productivity and regeneration. In order to achieve phases of recovery, the existing tension must first be relieved, with many sufferers turning to alcohol, hashish or other sedatives to speed up the process.
Balance between tension and relaxation
By skipping a conscious upstream relaxation phase, there is a danger that a real recovery cannot take place. The result is often a very high level of psychological stress, burnout, or even resorting to appropriate preparations in order to relax or recover more quickly. The after-work beer to come down is only one example of this, which is socially recognized. The danger here lies not in the one beer, but in the toxic cycle and a lack of healthy coping strategies. It is therefore important to be aware of one’s own behavior patterns, to reinforce healthy aspects (e.g., sports, community, art) and to avoid negative methods (e.g., addiction, substance abuse). The goal is to proactively respond to individual circumstances and consciously work on both external and internal factors – always focusing on one’s own health.
Reflection questions at the point may be:
- How do I recognize that I am under tension?
- How do I ensure relaxation?
- How do I ensure recovery?
Although our health care system is geared toward cis men (men who were assigned the male sex at birth), for many health plays only a subordinate role. They often ignore physical and mental warning signs, and on average, men die five years earlier than women. With the help of the Movember initiative, information and attention are to be generated every year in November around the topic of men’s health.
Consileon’s contribution to men’s health
We at Consileon had decided to support this issue both financially and through visibility work, as we are directly affected by our demanding work environment and the pressure that comes with it. In the consulting industry, 60-70 hour weeks are normal and so is the fact that employees do not stay with the company for more than two to three years. We are actively trying to live this differently, with a focus on the health of our employees. In concrete terms, this means paying attention to working hours and constantly establishing measures to ensure that employees feel good in the long term. We are also still in a learning phase here and had Jacob Drachenberg, among others, as a speaker at one of our last company events. A large number of employees went through his health program afterwards.
The donations collected from our Movember campaign will benefit the project “Against dangerous brain doping” of the Men’s Health Foundation. This “wants to help those affected, their relatives, friends and colleagues and provide them with information. Two guidebooks on the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs and harmful alcohol consumption are to be written, aimed primarily at men. Like all the Foundation’s guidebooks, they are compact, easy to understand, factual and written according to the latest findings. They can be downloaded free of charge from our website. With the booklets, we hope to bring the topic to the attention of the general public and to awaken those affected. With the booklets, we also want to give those responsible for workplace health promotion an instrument that they can use to talk to affected employees. Homepage, Men’s Health Foundation
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all donors, all those who took part in the campaigns and our management, which topped up the amount once again.
