Redefining Men's Mental Health The Prevention Zone by Christopher Senekki is defined as being within a mental state which allows for confidence, personal growth and self-perception

In these troubling times, few people will want to talk about another issue which is growing and becoming more serious than ever before: men's mental health. In fact, prior to the pandemic, talk of mental health and its entrapments such as substance abuse and suicides, were but hidden in the shadows.

Christopher Senekki, an ardent voice in prevention of men's mental health, has taken a hard stance in raising awareness of this neglected matter. His most recent publications on what he refers to as the Prevention Zone has caught ample attention from men seeking to find a means to recognize and be aware of elements which can both derail their mental health and keep them within the Prevention Zone. The Prevention Zone is defined as being within a mental state which allows for confidence, personal growth and self-perception.

Senekki amplifies that the key to prevention is the knowledge of the behaviors, stereotypes and environments which can both pull and push a man in or out of the Zone. This knowledge then becomes a tool for men, to create the platforms required, to combat this disastrous problem which is ridding the world of young men, falling victims to substance abuse, mental and neurological disorders and even suicide.

The Prevention Zone concept allows men to evaluate, via a scoring system, their mental health based on parameters which directly or indirectly influence their behaviors, stress levels, confidence and anxiety. Senekki highlights that only by conducting the exercise, men immediately develop an elevated sense of awareness of influences to their mental health which they had never considered before or had simply learnt to live with. The increased awareness then motivates men to find solutions to festering issues and eventually get themselves back into "the Zone".

One of Senekki's objective is to ensure that employers, brands and social media can comprehend the impact they have in men's mental health and thus play a part in eliminating those parameters and circumstances which contribute to it. The Prevention Zone tools can be used by employers, brands and the media to "measure" the mental health their environments, branding and messages provide to our society's men. By doing so they can develop a greater understanding of what they can do to contribute to the mitigation of the men's mental health problem being faced.

Employer's responsibility in the workplace

Working within a healthy environment, we're your given praise, take pleasure in your tasks and have the ability to develop your career, is a very strong push force, whilst working in a regimented environment where no one appreciates what you are doing is an equally vigorous pull force as it will inevitable destabilize your mental health. Such prominent pull forces can have a domino effect, since disappointment in the workplace can lead to poor relationships, mental fatigue, lack of motivation and confidence and Senekki says that many of these issues can be avoided by creating further awareness to employers for the necessity to create right environments for their employees.

Brands

Toxic masculinity has generated a stereotype which encompasses a set of behaviors which in fact deprive men of expression, compassion, opening up or even accepting any form of assistance from others. The Alpha male stereotype has led numerous men to depression, addiction and serious anxiety afflictions, simply because they are trying to be something they're not and the mind can't cope with the pressure. When a man feels that he is failing to live up to an expectation, he'll naturally be unhappy and this will have an immediate effect on his behavior, toward himself and to others. Senekki says that brands can effectively change this outlook, through their advertising and marketing techniques. In fact, brands can benefit substantially by creating an approach which avoids creating the Alpha male stigma and by doing so enlarging their audience.

Social media

Senekki highlights social media as a positive medium to enhance men's mental health. On the contrary to common belief, Senekki says that platforms such as Instagram, can be used to promote a passion to a huge audience. He describes Instagram as a stage for photographers, artists, fashionistas and travelers. The Prevention Zone will create the awareness that by pursuing a passion and promoting it, confidence will increase dramatically, and, the mind can begin to fester on positive affirmations in lieu of negativity and depressive thoughts. Senekki argues that those who belittle social media as being a contributor to men's mental health issues are simply urging men to go against the current. Social media is here to stay and will continue to evolve in the years to come.

The Prevention Zone and relationships

Being in healthy relationship can do wonders for the mindset and it is extremely important to understand which factors contribute to achieving just that. Senekki's Prevention Zone allows men to delve into the aspects of a relationship which affect men's mental health. The evaluation in itself provides an insight into the relationship's scale of communication, affection, attraction and happiness. By sharing the results with their partners, men can improve their relationships or perhaps draw a conclusion that the relationship has an overwhelming impact on a man's mental health and needs to end.

The gentleman's etiquette

Senekki has been writing articles on Gentleman's etiquette and style for over two decades. He strongly believes that etiquette is a very powerful tool in developing a confident mindset and creating positive mental affirmations. Unlike what is being portrayed by certain media streams, the gentleman etiquette is not associated with an alpha male stereotype. Senekki says that etiquette revolves around behavior, values and ethics. The Prevention Zone categorizes the etiquette principles and men can score themselves on each thus gaining awareness on which part of the etiquette they need to work on and develop. Additionally, the categories are prioritized to demonstrate which values of the etiquette carry a greater weight in respect to confidence and self-perception.

Conclusion

Senekki highlights that developing and maintaining a healthy mindset is vital. Today there are many influences which can lead to derailment, depression and substance abuse. The Prevention Zone tools created by Senekki aim to provide men a means by which to frequently revisit their mental state and the aspects which may lead to an imbalance. Senekki's book on the Prevention Zone, is set for release in the fall of 2021.