Mindful self-care for men goes beyond merely adding it to your schedule or to-do list – it includes recognizing perceptions about self-care and masculinity then challenging an antiquated point-of-view conditioning.

By Stephen Lottenberg, MD, PsyD, weSPARK’s Men’s Support Group Facilitator:

“Our men’s group really emphasizes how we as men can change old conditioning which is no longer up to date. This old conditioning includes “doing” in life was our only sense of identity. I often ask are we “human doings” or “human beings”? So, far, far down the priority list was checking in with “how do I feel?”

Our group does emphasize this self-care concept and the realization that we need to take care of ourselves first if we want to be there for others. Working through the shock of a cancer diagnosis certainly has contributed to thinking about self-care for most of our group members. It is fascinating to learn how our group of men work together to feel safe with sharing about self-care as a priority.”