As a Man, What Is Your Responsibility Toward Your Own Health?

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Please Note: This is a paid article that is presented for informational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. If you have any health concern, see a licensed healthcare professional in person. This article does not constitute an endorsement or approval of this product or any claim, statement or opinion used in promotion of this product.

The statistics show that as men approach fifty, we become less inclined toward physicals and health check-ups, especially if we are already enjoying reasonably good health. Studies indicate that most men of this age take an “if it isn’t broke” mentality and frequently don’t want to know in the first place if something is wrong. Even worse, men who are currently experiencing a medical emergency are still unlikely to seek treatment, to the point that we’ll actively resist making appointments or following up on healthcare.

Why is this the case, though? There are many social constructs that impede male healthcare, some stemming from toxic masculinity itself. We may feel that being stubborn proves that we are in control, or we may be afraid of showing any signs of weakness in front of our peers, and sometimes we simply do not prioritize our own well-being enough to justify spending resources on it.

We already have a mortgage to pay off, several mouths to feed, and a car in the shop, so why take a few days off from those obligations just so some “expert” can tell us what that pain in our chest is? However, your health is important, and not just for yourself.

As a provider, and as a good man, you aren’t in this race alone. If you think that taking time off for yourself would hurt your loved ones who depend on you, imagine how much more it would hurt them if you were gone from their lives entirely — and for an easily avoidable reason, on top of that.

This sense of almost selfish irresponsibility can be damaging to a family unit, especially when it seems that the man doesn’t seem to find his loved ones’ concerns important, or if he doesn’t seem to care about their worries and their fear of living without him. If that’s seemingly so, then how is it that he truly cares for and respects their feelings and opinions?

Reasons Why Your Health Is Important.

While most of the reasons for good health should be perfectly obvious — the maintenance of our happiness and longevity, for starters – some men only seem to consider or even notice their health when they are in fact sick. Never to be found in a medical facility in a proactive manner, they think of places like this only in terms of reactive treatment, when one is already befallen by an ailment.

There is an irony here: most of your more (for lack of a cleaner term) “macho” individuals will take preemptive, preventive measures to avoid automotive troubles. You’ll find them underneath a car that runs perfectly well, for the sole purpose of avoiding potential trouble down the road (pun intended). Yet, they’re not so much as “an aspirin a day keeps the cardiologist away” type for the prevention of health problems that will come sooner rather than later.

There comes a time when a man reaches an age when life stops giving him things and starts taking them away. Time passes, people age, and health fades. Granted, while the threat of a widowmaker heart attack is probably pretty heavy on the mind of many men of a certain age, it’s not something to be dwelled on. And certainly, preventative measures for that (or any other kind of health problem) are not at the top of the list.

Aside from the aforementioned, which is worth repeating, the fact that a man’s life is not only his own – but it also belongs to the people that he cares about and cares about him and would be in a vacuum should he no longer be around – there are other strong points to be made. It’s also about the quality of life, too.

What Makes a Man Healthy?

A healthy man is a man that feels good physically, and a man who’s not worried about his health is a man that feels good emotionally — and not blocking or just refusing to think about it. Knowing that there isn’t anything to worry about will bring true, true peace of mind. Also, knowing that those that he cares about have peace of mind regarding his well-being is truly very rewarding. Now that is handling your business.

It’s also about being in control, many think that one of the most terrifying things about a serious illness is the fact that your body seems to be betraying you. That is, it is out of your control. You’re not in charge. So, what could be more personally on point than to take initiative, take preemptive strikes and control everything in your life before it decides to become unruly and out of your realm of management?

Being kind to your body and practicing a little self-compassion is not a selfish endeavor. Rather, it’s more of a favor that is going to come back to you and your loved ones, twenty-fold, many times over. If a child or another loved one was acting recklessly and was becoming ill based on these behavioral patterns, a dad – a father – would admonish them and correct this behavior. So why not turn that view inward, and take a good look at oneself?

Options for Taking Control of Your Health

Once a man realizes that this positive, charge-taking mentality towards his health is a fairly painless concept, there are a few options to take care of this with equal ease, as well as privacy, and self-reliance. These are truly painless concepts. In addition to a veritable cornucopia of free knowledge only a keystroke away on the internet, there are also a great many simple, discreet, and non-invasive methods in which to accomplish this.

For mental health, there are websites like TalkSpace, and for physical health, there are at-home FIT test kits to check your colon health without the usual invasive doctor visits.

These simple, private methods are sure to be putting the minds at ease for both the mature gentleman and those who care for him. There is an elegance to simplicity and even more so to privacy, especially for older men who might be grumpily set in their ways.

To appease the requests of loved ones (and thereby stop their persistent and gentle reminders, perhaps) there are many simple solutions proffered. After all, you have only one life. Making your health a priority should always be your focus, and in doing so, you can be a better man for not only yourself, but also for those who care about you.

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