This Book Could Help: The Men's Head Space Manual

by Rotimi Akinsete

Your body needs maintaining to keep it healthy. So does your mind. This sounds simple, but tired and outdated ideas that tell men how they ought to be mean that this message gets lost. And the results speak for suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. There’s no more room for debate—taking care of your head space should be as normal as eating your five-a-day or going to the gym. Many books make impossible promises about how they will fix all your problems and stresses with some miraculous 10-step program. This one doesn’t. What it does do is provide practical help, when times are tough and also when they’re not. And just like with your physical health, it doesn’t always have to take much to make a difference. Developed in partnership with Mind, the mental health charity, This Book Could Help is filled with straightforward expert advice and simple techniques to help you shake off what other people say you ought to be, prioritize yourself, meet challenges and develop new strengths, in areas such as dealing with stress, motivation, work and life goals. We all deserve to live fully and respect our struggles, so start here and back yourself every day. Because head space is not a luxury, it’s essential.

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[Gareth Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Prompt for Mental Wellbeing

Well written and laid out little exercise book full of snippets of vital advice and exercises for men to help keep their mental well-being on track. It doesn't dive to deep in anyone area but gives ideas and sign posts to where to go if further investigation is needed. Great as a starting point for men who want to address their mental health or for men wanting to give theirs a tune up.

[George Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book over a year ago but thought I would read again in these troubling corona / post knee surgery times. It doesn't add anything new to the discussion but the basic things to think about improving your mental health and includes some nice exercises. Unfortunately the sections on work don't really apply in this isolation and the exercise part will have to wait.

[Chris Bacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, as a mental health trainer I can see how this would be applicable to men who aren't used to discussing their well-being. It's written in an easy going style and never mentions the word 'mental health' - good to have at work for people to pick up and put down.

[W Saad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Will need 1-2 hours of your time.. honestly , it didn’t help but I totally agree with some of the mentioned points, this the 2 stars..

Felt like a children’s book …

Anyway , won’t recommend paying for it ..

[Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed everything in this book. It was a wonder to read through and reflect on. I love the simple, straightforward way it talks about things. My only wish is that it was longer, maybe with a wider variety of examples or longer quotes from a wider variety of men.

[Joel Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful little book that I will review on a regular basis

[Connor Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough, pretty fluffy and basic

[ap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic but insightful

[Adam Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid informative guide with some great concise exercises for mental health check-ins. Will be passing this on to friend for sure

[Karl Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really useful and manageable to read and some of the exercises are things that I think I will refer back to in the future.

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little mental health/wellbeing book specifically targeting men. It gives a lot of really helpful tasks to do and things to think about, and practical advice on how to start thinking about it - which does not come naturally for some men!

Probably for the latter reason - that this is an alien world to the men it is trying to reach the most - the book is quite simple and short. It's succinct, to the point. At times it reads almost like an instructional manual with some uplifting words thrown in. BUT, I think that that's actually a good thing in this case. It adopts a different model to some other self help books to try and help men reluctant (or afraid) to take the first steps.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with a powerful message. Really useful exercises and practical advice for mental health management.

[Matt Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick wins

Great resources and book to read through and realise how we can have some quick wins to support men and mental health!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read! Some great fixes