It is no surprise that life expectancy for men is lower than women. So why do men take fewer laps around the sun? Studies support that life expectancy is directly connected to the way men think1. Women more proactively seek holistic treatment for their well-being than men. Men are far more inclined to ignore anything about health, brushing aside what could be helpful information. Men are generally uninterested and unmotivated to investigate health topics, even when they know that they have a need.
Could it be that men still carry the stigma that they must be tough, bury their emotions, and rise above all physical, mental and emotional challenges to hold onto their masculinity? Most men find it challenging to show vulnerability, so when they do seek care they feel reluctant to discuss their health concerns openly. Statistics don’t lie. Men are 40% more likely to die from cancer, 70% more likely to die from heart disease, and live an average of nine years of their lives with chronic health concerns2. It has been proposed that 7 out of every 10 health concerns for men can be prevented by proactively seeking solutions and following through2. The catch is that this requires men to think about their health.
What’s creating many of the problems that men face? Did you know that any traumatic experience from life can create “trapped emotions” in the energy field of the body? Trapped emotional energy, more commonly called “emotional baggage” leads to all kinds of physical pain and malfunction, mental imbalance and emotional instability that sabotages lives. Trapped emotional energies often stay as your baggage until discovered and released.
A man worries about not being good enough or not being “enough of a man” which results in the uninterested attitude about health which does not serve him. This way of thinking prevents men from looking at what they can do to improve their health and wellbeing. Because of this, their health problems stay to challenge them until they are ready and willing to confront them.
So what are the negative emotions behind the chronic conditions men are living with… Resentment? Anger? If you are in pain and do not have a positive outlook on life, you could ask yourself which negative emotions come to mind for you. It could be grief, fear, self-abuse, shame, or several of many negative emotions. Becoming aware of specific emotions that you’re hanging onto or suppressing is a step in the right direction on your path to improving mental and physical health.
If resentment is an emotion you consciously feel towards a situation or person, a great way to move ahead so past events do not keep bothering you is to choose to forgive. Write out who and what bothers you and try this statement from John Living: “I forgive all who have caused hurts, harm, problems, and emotional, mental, and spiritual traumas to me and to all or any in my families, communities, and associations. I forgive you completely in all ways and in all aspects3“. After reading this 3 times, burn what you have written down.
Another great way to improve health is to change your perspective on life and life events. Do not let others influence your happiness. You have control over how you react to every event or situation. This can be a very powerful practice. Decide to see the bright side no matter what the situation. Sometimes it takes removing yourself from a situation to see a new perspective.
Finally, seek help. There are many modalities to assist you with clearing past traumas. The Emotion Code is one of the most effective ways to remove negative trapped emotional energies from past events. And since science has shown that emotions can be inherited4, a Certified Emotion Code practitioner can assist you in clearing harmful generational emotions as well. Do not let your past hurts influence your health or happiness.
Men are safer to be proactive with their health! Acknowledging that positive thinking helps to create a healthy mind, heart, and body can lead to a richer and pain-free life.
For some other quick and easy tips visit http://dontchangemuch.ca/tips/ and look here http://menshealthfoundation.ca/resources for another great resource.
In emotional health and well being,
John Inverarity
- Chesney, E., G. Goodwin, and S. Fazel. 2014. Risks of all-cause and suicide mortality in mental disorders: a meat-review. World Psychiatry. 13(2): 153-160 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.20128/abstract;jsessionid=B60892E7B3255CBFF2769094A7E3F60A.f04t04
- Sandman, D., E. Simantov, & C. An. 2000. Out of Touch: American men and the health care system. Commonwealth Fund Survey. New York, NY
- Living, J. 2008. Distant Healing Manual. Holistic Intuition Society. Galiano, BC. http://www.in2it.ca/Forgiveness.htm
- Yehuda, R., N. Daskalakis, L. Bierer, et al. 2015. Holocaust Exposure Induced Intergenerational Effects onFKBP5 Methylation. Biological Psychiatry. http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(15)00652-6/abstract
