Men\'s Health Malaysia - Jun 2017

18 JUNE 2017

BULLETINS

WORDS

ED COOPER

PHOTOGRAPH

BETH CRUTCHFIELD AT HEARST STUDIOS

PROP BUILD

ANNA OLDHAM COOPER ANNAOLDHAMCOOPER.COM

18 JUNE 2017

Whether scrolling social
media feeds or refreshing
your office inbox, you are
more interconnected than
ever before. And, according
to figures linking phone use to
depression and anxiety – it’s
sending your brain haywire.
But there are nowhere
near enough resources,
programmes or knowledge
to deal with the spiralling
number of mental-health
cases in men. One in every
six Americans are taking
prescription meds, and the
UK is on a similar trajectory.
Unsurprisingly, we believe
the answer to this question
shouldn’t be found in a
cocktail of prescription caps
or – equally off-putting –
deep-breathing mumbo

jumbo that leaves you

sighing for a more palatable

solution. Instead, new

science suggests you opt for

an avant-garde approach.

Research by New

Zealand’s University of

Otago asked students

to keep a diary of their

emotional states after

engaging in a creative

pursuit. They found the

productive participants

experienced lower stress

levels, were more enthused,

and began “flourishing” –

the feeling of an improved

mental state.

But to truly draw a line

under your digitally induced

anxiety, you might want

to have an even closer

brush with your artistic

side. Specifically, Drexel

University discovered that

putting brush to canvas

could hold the key to

eliminating mental malaise.

Don’t worry, an endorsement

for adult colouring books

this is not: the researchers

found that 45 minutes of

actually creating art – which

included using markers

and paper, modelling clay,

collage materials and more

• quashed levels of stress-
  inducing cortisol.
  So, if the Jackson Pollock-
  esque madness of a hyper-
  connected lifestyle has
  made your grey matter
  abstract, we suggest you
  pencil in some time to erase
  stress, and outline your new
  state of mind.

MIND CRAFT

Don’t fancy staging an art attack?

Try your hand at these instead

DRUM UP

SUPPORT

Researchers at the

Royal College of Music found

just an hour of drumming a

week can reduce symptoms

of depression by up to 38%.

OUT-RUN

STRESS

Three 40-minute

cardio sessions a week can

beat dementia – a byproduct

of elevated stress – according

to the Uni of Pittsburgh.

GIVE YOUR

BRAIN A LIFT

Hit the squat rack to

boost the area of your brain

that helps you multitask,

thereby neutralising the angst

of your office to-do list.

Be a Picture

of Positive

Mental Health

Turn stress-busting into a fine art and

brush away Internet-induced anxiety