It’s May, which means it’s almost time for BBQ and fireworks season in the United States. It’s also Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health matters every day, and it’s valuable to have a month dedicated to maintaining and improving mental wellness. Technology has made the world more disconnected and people more isolated, as seen when families or groups focus on their phones instead of each other.
News of rising costs, economic instability, wars, famine, genocide, and climate change—reported constantly through various media—can depress or overwhelm any thoughtful person. Middle-class families, even without children, spend most of their income on essentials. The stress on working-class households and those with children must be even greater. Friends and family have also expressed challenges related to inflation and widening economic inequality.
That’s why it’s important to take care of your mental health. The main point I want to make is that simplified solutions for mental wellness—like those promoted by the manosphere—are insufficient and potentially harmful, especially for men and boys. When mental health is neglected, more serious consequences can result, such as rage, violence, or even suicide. Men often use more lethal methods to end their lives.
That’s why it’s troubling to see that the often cited “Manosphere” is not only promoting a modern fashion of good ol’ fashion sexism, and pushing young men into more right-wing politics and ideologies, which is not gonna help humanity face our most pressing problems as a species collectively.
The manosphere promotes an extreme self-centeredness rooted in late-stage capitalism, reducing romantic relationships to transactions, status, and superficial traits like looks and wealth. In truth, while attraction and finances matter for most adults, qualities like personality, hobbies, and shared values are far more important to sustain a romantic relationship, whether short- or long-term. The manosphere claims ‘escaping the matrix’ is about individual men becoming millionaires, but ignores solidarity, unionization, and mutual aid. Instead, it sells a bootstrap myth packaged as multi-level marketing schemes promising riches and easy solutions to all problems. Yet figures like Andrew Tate, a key manosphere influencer, face ongoing legal troubles. Clearly, wealth and fame did not solve his problems, and poor character hasn’t helped him either.
The topics I’ve mentioned can cause many young men to stress and worry, thus impacting their mental health. Problematic manosphere influencers claim to have a solution: just work out. In the Netflix documentary Into the Manosphere, Louis Theroux interviews two young men who follow notable online manosphere influencers. One claims to have experienced homelessness and severe depression, stating that working out helped him. The suggestion that exercise alone addresses complex issues like homelessness and depression oversimplifies the problem.
This goes beyond followers of the manosphere; another leading women’s lifestyle and fashion influencer, with over 2 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, shared a post promoting the same mentality for dealing with depression or anxiety: Just work out. She said, “I don’t do therapy or anything like that. I just go to the gym. And then I feel better.”
As a former member of the Armed Forces, the best thing I gained during that time was a love of fitness. I work out and maintain healthy habits, though occasional treats like ice cream, cookies, and graham crackers pose a challenge. Nevertheless, mental wellness is just as important as physical fitness. Unfortunately, many popular online personalities promote a problematic stance to their vast audiences.
I’m a licensed social worker with fifteen-plus years of experience. I say that this is terrible advice to give to anyone dealing with a mental health crisis or even a general depressive episode. I’ll stand by this quote. Gym gains don’t take away mental pains. Feeding this terrible message will only further isolate and depress Gen Z and the coming-of-age Gen Alpha, who are more connected to social media than older generations. Mental wellness is just as important as physical health. Your mind is a vital part of your body.
It’s bad enough that online influencers push shallow wellness ideologies—often anti-vax, anti-mental health, and touting health fads like 1,200-calorie-a-day diets. Physical fitness is more than big muscles or looking good. It means living to old age with fewer health problems and recovering from illness or injury more quickly.
If you’re facing a mental health crisis, seek support from a professional—a social worker, counselor, or psychiatrist. Asking for help is not a weakness; it’s admirable, whether you’re suffering after a job loss, a death of a family member, or the death of a pet. For severe crises, seek help immediately.
Yes, in the United States, universal healthcare should be a key policy. Some mental health specialists often charge hundreds or thousands per hour. Such costs are unreasonable for most working- and middle-class people. However, mental health hotlines and free clinics exist nationwide and provide affordable care. Some professionals offer sliding scales for clients with limited income.
Bench presses and five-hour hikes are meaningless if you believe you’re worthless and life has no value. True well-being requires both mental wellness and physical fitness—one cannot substitute for the other. My own mental health journey, shared previously on this site, underscores that wellness is not about a destination. Like physical fitness, mental wellness relies on daily habits that last a lifetime.
I hope folks reading understand that life will have its trials, and in a world where technology and finances can make us feel isolated. There are things we can do to break the cycle of loneliness that can spiral into a mental health crisis. Connecting with close friends and family, volunteering, attending religious services, or pursuing a joyful hobby can help you build connections with like-minded individuals.
We all need a support system to lean on when life throws us a challenge, whether it’s the end of a marriage or the loss of a job. A sense of community, maintaining your sanity, and taking care of your health make you a more complete and healthy person. In no way am I claiming to be a perfect person. But the point of the Evolving Folks Project is to show people that we must all embrace the changes life brings in order to grow. That’s what makes you a mentally healthy individual. Not just getting pumped at the gym
Evolving Folks Project 