It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World ………. is it ???

[animallittle3]

The initial thread isn’t about coal mining per se.
It’s about the work men used to do at one time - around Barnsley it was generally coal mining - compared to the work that men do these days and the impact this has on their mental wellbeing.
When I’m talking about men especially young men ‘coping with life’ I’m talking about the high rate of suicides there is within that group these days.

The thread is NOT about how many miles someone walks in a warehouse.

So what are your experiences of mental health ?

Have you yourself suffered poor mental health ? , a family member may be ? perhaps a friend or a colleague ? .

[Young_Nudger]

So what are your experiences of mental health ?

Have you yourself suffered poor mental health ? , a family member may be ? perhaps a friend or a colleague ? .

Bit personal init !?!?!
But as previously posted in the thread - it’s from hearing further bad news.

[animallittle3]

Bit personal init !?!?!
But as previously posted in the thread - it’s from hearing further bad news.

I'm happy to talk about mental health , I don't find it personal at all but each to their own .

I've suffered poor mental health , I'm not ashamed to say so and by sharing that , seeking help and managing myself my mental health has improved tremendously .

YN you can't prevent life being what it is , nobody is protected by what life throws at us , what you can do is be open about it , recognise it and try and get the help and advice you need .

It's not preventable anymore than any other serious illness is preventable , your going down the wrong path .

[Young_Nudger]

I'm happy to talk about mental health , I don't find it personal at all but each to their own .

I've suffered poor mental health , I'm not ashamed to say so and by sharing that , seeking help and managing myself my mental health has improved tremendously .

YN you can't prevent life being what it is , nobody is protected by what life throws at us , what you can do is be open about it , recognise it and try and get the help and advice you need .

It's not preventable anymore than any other serious illness is preventable , your going down the wrong path .

Firstly you misinterpret the thread by reading what you think it’s about - and not what it’s actually about.
No change there then.
I’ll have to start making a bigger effort to spell things out - from the thread to the needle.

And then to top things off - when I do spell it out - you misinterpret that as well.

I’m talking about work men do now compared to what they used to do - and is there a link to today’s mental health issues especially amongst young men.
So you know I worked at the pit - so you know I can’t be that young - and I’ve specifically said it relates to hearing about bad news.
So how the hell did you come to the assumption that I’m talking about myself.
I’m not FGS !!!

[animallittle3]

Firstly you misinterpret the thread by reading what you think it’s about - and not what it’s actually about.
No change there then.
I’ll have to start making a bigger effort to spell things out - from the thread to the needle.

And then to top things off - when I do spell it out - you misinterpret that as well.

I’m talking about work men do now compared to what they used to do - and is there a link to today’s mental health issues especially amongst young men.
So you know I worked at the pit - so you know I can’t be that young - and I’ve specifically said it relates to hearing about bad news.
So how the hell did you come to the assumption that I’m talking about myself.
I’m not FGS !!!

I actually wasn't talking about you , I was making a general point about mental health and challenged your opinion on how mental health plays out today .

I don't actually think you know too much about it but obviously that's just my opinion and not a fact .

[Young_Nudger]

I actually wasn't talking about you , I was making a general point about mental health and challenged your opinion on how mental health plays out today .

I don't actually think you know too much about it but obviously that's just my opinion and not a fact .

Well yer right on that score - I don’t know much about it - and that’s why the IP is not about mental health per se.
It is actually floating the idea for discussion on whether the change in men’s working environment is causing increased pressure on men and especially young men ?
That is to say young men that would at one time found a home working within a team of like minded fellas within heavy industry.
Around Barnsley that would have been working at the local pit.

[animallittle3]

Well yer right on that score - I don’t know much about it - and that’s why the IP is not about mental health per se.
It is actually floating the idea for discussion on whether the change in men’s working environment is causing increased pressure on men and especially young men ?
That is to say young men that would at one time found a home working within a team of like minded fellas within heavy industry.
Around Barnsley that would have been working at the local pit.

It's far more complex than simply offering up working at the pit as a solution .

As I've pointed out up until the last 15 years nobody talked about mental health for fear of ridicule , for all you know many of your fellow miners could have experienced poor mental health and you wouldn't know it was that .

Breakdown in relationships is one area that leads to poor mental health and people today split with wives and partners more than they did , almost nobody when I was at school was brought up by a single parent for instance .

Society and communities have changed from what they once were and people move around the country more than they did due to work for example .

People can often feel isolated and disconnected today , we had more or less the same people on our street when I was growing up and now people don't put roots down as they once did .

Those are just a few examples and it's only the tip of the iceberg because as I say mental health is complex and it's a complex world today .

[pass_and_move]

Think you've raised some excellent and honest points there Animal. Being open to discussion on one's feelings is always deserving of respect and can prove helpful or relatable to anybody else who's suffering with mental health problems.

It was somewhat a taboo subject for gentlemen to be open about back in the 80s. The 80s was a tough decade for this town with the miners strike, pit closures, high unemployment, job losses, big debts etc. A lot of pressure and upheaval, hardships on an unprecedented level in modern day terms. I would imagine mental health was off the scale but not exposed which must've made life extremely difficult for most people but especially men who were generally the providers and in most cases became unable to provide thanks to the collapse of an industry. Homes and families under tremendous pressure. Dark times for many and an unbelievable struggle during the strike going so long without pay.

Folk showed a mental fortitude unparalleled to this day. Did the seige mentality and sheer determination override mental health? Were peoples mentalities stronger back then? Are we guilty in today's world of overreacting too quickly and putting mental health at the forefront in a bid to show no resilience within ourselves? Is mental health something that's become properly recognised because the heavyweight champion of the world suffers/suffered a mental health condition?

Personally speaking, my mental health hasn't been great in these last few years to say the least. It is difficult to live with and each day presents another challenge. There's a side to me which wants to get on with it and fight on through without creating a fuss or feeling self indulgent. There's also another side that wants to quit on things some days and stew in my pyss which isn't nice at all. Recognising when these feelings happen or are imminent is the key to handling and containing a more pragmatic approach towards dealing with my mental state and not allowing it to consume me.

[Dingle council]

Well said pass
Best balanced post on this thread by a mile

[Arblasterfromthepast]

Think you've raised some excellent and honest points there Animal. Being open to discussion on one's feelings is always deserving of respect and can prove helpful or relatable to anybody else who's suffering with mental health problems.

It was somewhat a taboo subject for gentlemen to be open about back in the 80s. The 80s was a tough decade for this town with the miners strike, pit closures, high unemployment, job losses, big debts etc. A lot of pressure and upheaval, hardships on an unprecedented level in modern day terms. I would imagine mental health was off the scale but not exposed which must've made life extremely difficult for most people but especially men who were generally the providers and in most cases became unable to provide thanks to the collapse of an industry. Homes and families under tremendous pressure. Dark times for many and an unbelievable struggle during the strike going so long without pay.

Folk showed a mental fortitude unparalleled to this day. Did the seige mentality and sheer determination override mental health? Were peoples mentalities stronger back then? Are we guilty in today's world of overreacting too quickly and putting mental health at the forefront in a bid to show no resilience within ourselves? Is mental health something that's become properly recognised because the heavyweight champion of the world suffers/suffered a mental health condition?

Personally speaking, my mental health hasn't been great in these last few years to say the least. It is difficult to live with and each day presents another challenge. There's a side to me which wants to get on with it and fight on through without creating a fuss or feeling self indulgent. There's also another side that wants to quit on things some days and stew in my pyss which isn't nice at all. Recognising when these feelings happen or are imminent is the key to handling and containing a more pragmatic approach towards dealing with my mental state and not allowing it to consume me.

Yeah good post Pass. I've now watched the Miners' Strike series -well worth the watch as you said. Although I lived through it,as a 20 year old, I'd forgotten how bad it got. I suppose that as time passes we move on and put the bad bits to the back of our memories.