Most men know their daily habits should include eating well, exercising and drinking water, but there are two surprising habits that should be on everyone’s list if they want to boost their mental health, according to wellbeing coach Gary Fahey.
These are cold showers and controlled breathing, he says.
“Having a cold shower every day imposes a small amount of stress on your body which helps your nervous system to get used to dealing with moderate levels of stress,” Fahey explains.
“In addition, doing something hard improves your willpower and ability to deal with discomfort, an important element to manage the stresses life throws at you.”
He says other benefits of cold showers include waking you up faster, boosting alertness and improving concentration for prolonged periods of the day.
“Cold showers also help to reduce the levels of CO2 in the body through an increase in breath rate, while activating an increase in white blood cells, the body’s natural disease-fighting armoury,” Fahey says.
“They also increase your metabolic rate and stimulate the activation of brown fat, a particular type of fat tissue that in turn generates energy by burning calories, so they are useful in helping you lose weight as well.”
He says the four key habits men must build are: eating well, having a cold shower every morning, exercising and deep breathing.
“People talk a lot about relaxation and meditation, but the key underlying mechanism involves controlled breathing,” Fahey says.
He adds that recent studies have found “physiological sighing” as more effective for stress relief than other common breathing techniques or meditation.
“Breathing deeply with longer exhales is known to help support psychological relief and reduce stress. So try consciously breathing for five minutes a day every day,” he explains.
Fahey hit headlines and suffered a very public fall from grace when he defrauded the Australian Federal Police of $45,000 while secretly battling a gambling addiction, massive debts and depression.
After paying the money back, the former SAS Australia reality TV star completed a Master of Brain and Mind Sciences and launched a new consultancy, Strong Men’d, in a bid to turn his life around.
Fahey now uses his own “rock bottom” story to inspire other men to speak up when they’re struggling, while offering strategies and support so they can tackle their own mental health challenges before heading down a path of destruction like he did.
More tips for men can be found at www.strongmend.com
Fahey’s deep breathing tip
Find a quiet spot somewhere in the house and a comfortable chair. Sit in it for five minutes and breathe. Take one big breath in over a second, followed by a quick sharp extra breath to top up. Then exhale deeply. Keep repeating this pattern for five minutes.
