Did you know that male suicides have accounted for over 75% of suicides in the UK since 2017? In the age of social media, prevention of such loss is only becoming harder to deal with. Christopher Senekki, a men’s mental health advocate, begs to differ.
Putting your best foot forward
When men become aware of their negative self-perceptions, they can start their journey of unlearning harmful beliefs and replacing them with better serving ones. One example of this is something often overlooked but displayed heavily in media: men’s fashion. Studies have shown that what a person wears is highly correlated to their personal perceptions. For example, a study by school teacher Karen Pines found that students who wore Superman t-shirts during an exam held higher points of efficacy than those who did not. The shirts did not literally make these students smarter, they were simply catalysts in helping the students believe they could achieve their goals. Men’s fashion is no different. In modern day, men’s fashion closely resembles coverings of library books: monotone, flat colors that do not do much to tell a man’s story. A wrinkle in a dress shirt or crumpled seam in a show has the power to determine how a man sees himself.
Christopher wants to change that. Christopher believes that a man who presents himself well to the world can do anything he set his mind to.
The social media hold on society
It is no surprise that social media has taken over the world. People across the globe have used it for every purpose: photo-sharing, connecting with family, brand promotion, the list goes on. So what happens when social media becomes the center of a man’s world? How does a person separate themselves from their online personas? According to Christopher, the line between genuine self-perception and performance has grown slim. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that people learn to divide social media from real life. Whether we think about it or not, social media has an iron grip on most people. It is through this grip that we lose our sense of self and can grow to dislike who we are as people. Christopher combats this by reminding his audience that positive self-perception starts with oneself. When men see themselves as good people, they are more likely to present their best selves to the rest of the world.
Breaking out of the ‘phone screen mold’
With the age of social media on the rise, Christopher understands how important it is to his audience to blend in and fit within the inclines of “normal.” However, according to Christpher, this can ultimately lead to some potentially harmful behavior. When a person defines their life through a phone screen, it becomes more and more easy to neglect the responsibilities that come with living in the real world. It has become Christopher’s mission to combat this phenomenon of men using social media as a crutch. Instead of using social media and fashion to fit into a box, Christopher argues that people should use these tools to find their own identities and passions. There is nothing wrong with standing out, doing so can be the first step to truly finding happiness and purpose in life. With these tips, we can expect Christopher will continue to bring these important concepts within the umbrella of men’s mental health to light.
The world needs more and more influential individuals such as Christopher to put the attention on these topics. Follow his instagram at www.instagram.com/s__christopher
