As part of Men’s Health Awareness Month, a couple of members of staff are sharing how they prioritise their health and wellbeing. You can find all the events we’re running for Men’s Health Awareness Month here.
Kieron Broadhead is Senior Executive Director (Student Experience) and Deputy Vice President (Operations). Here, Kieron speaks about how he takes care of himself, how he manages stress, and what he believes are the barriers to men seeking help for their physical and mental health.
What do you do to support your own health and wellbeing?
Making time for yourself when life is busy and work demands high levels of energy is really important, so I try to make sure I have appropriate boundaries between work and home time. I really enjoy being outside, and my garden is a bit of a distraction for me. I find growing things and pottering really therapeutic.
What do you think are the barriers to men seeking help when it comes to their health?
The obvious issue relates to an outdated cultural expectation that men are robust and resilient. While this isn’t a fair expectation, I think that sometimes there is a fear of vulnerability, and this is problematic. Men often aren’t as open with their problems, and it has been well documented that men have a habit of bottling up concerns rather than sharing them.
What improves your days and makes you feel happier?
I find that I’m really affected by the weather. I don’t mind hot or cold; I just don’t love grey skies or rain. I’m much happier in the sunshine and outside. I also find my day much better when I am around people. I know that I get my energy from being with others, and so being on and around campus really makes me happy.
How do you manage stress? How has this changed as your career has progressed?
I think stress affects everyone in every role, so finding coping mechanisms is important. I find that exercise has been an important part of stress management, so I go to the gym three or four times a week before work in the morning, and that hour is really good for me. It also helps me sleep, and when tiredness can be a trigger, this is valuable. As my career has progressed, I’ve found that understanding that I need to take time to think about problems, reflect, and not immediately react has been key, and to that end, I have trusted colleagues I can explore problems with, and that helps lower my stress levels.
As an organisation, how do you think we can support men’s health?
I think that it is important that people feel able to talk to their line manager and their peers, if appropriate, about things that are bothering them. We have good support available through the Employee Assistance programme, and we’re linked to lots of supportive groups and organisations.
You can find out more about the support available for staff on our Health and Wellbeing Sharepoint page.