Movember: meet Peter Holly, Team Office captain

Day 1 of the Movember challenge

In a male-dominated industry such as ours, it’s all too easy to focus on someone’s physical health as an indicator that they’re OK.

They turn up to work, do their job, seem normal so we assume they’re fine. But our mental wellbeing is equally important and that’s why mental health and suicide prevention are key areas of Movember’s work.

Peter Holly has been a Mo Bro for 4 years now and his commitment to the cause is faultless; he is after all the bro who hosted a pub quiz all the way from Taiwan! As the driving force behind Team Baker Perkins, he’s committed to breaking the stigma/taboo associated with cancer and mental health and wants people to talk more and get checked early before it’s too late.

So it’s timely on this National Stress Awareness Day that we not only share some resources to help you or others with your mental health and stress, and also reveal more on Peter and his motivations to drive the Movember agenda.

“Movember is close to my heart as we work in a male dominated industry and it’s targeted at men’s health. Part of their work is to change the face of mental health and this is an important conversation I want to keep going here at Baker Perkins.

As men we probably don’t talk as much as we should about how we feel, what’s on our mind or when we’re struggling. Maybe it’s because we think it’ll be seen as a sign of weakness, but the more we have these conversations, the more normal they become. And the more we see high profile men step away from work for their mental health, like Michael Hooper, the Australian rugby captain, did recently the better because that also normalises it and proves we’re all the same regardless of our job or status.

Maintaining a work life balance is also important. Whatever job you do, when there is a lot on, people can get their head down, work and don’t tend to think about everything else around them. This is the most crucial time though to maintain that balance. A lot of people who are depressed focus on work and don’t tackle what the main issues are. But it doesn’t have to be a weight we carry on our own. Talk to a mate, talk to one of the Mental Health First Aiders or call the EAP number and take advantage of the support that’s provided for all of us.

These are just two of the reasons why we’re focusing more on men’s health by organising events and getting people out and together, like pre-Covid, trying new things with friends. We want to help build people’s confidence back up and  be as inclusive as possible, so we’re putting on a broad range of activities to accommodate and appeal to everyone we hope.

After last year’s Movember we felt more people had a greater awareness around mental health and I hope we build on that this year.”

National Stress Awareness Day was founded to “help people recognize, manage, and reduce stress in their personal and professional lives.”

So, if you’re keen to manage your own mental wellbeing, want to learn more about stress and its link to mental health, or want to support a friend, colleague or family member, these resources will hopefully be a good place to start:

Mental Health UK: Stress and how to cope with it

Mind: What is stress?

Mental Health Helplines:

Mind

Call 0300 123 3393, text 86463
Monday – Friday, 9am – 6pm (except Bank Holidays)
Email [email protected]
Website

NHS

Call 111
24 /7
Website

Samaritans

Call 116 123
24/7

Email [email protected]
Website

SANE

Call 0300 304 7000
4.30 – 10.30pm daily
Website

Switchboard

Call 0300 330 0630

Email [email protected]
Website

Shout – for support in a crisis

text Shout to 85258

Podcasts:

  • Mental Health Foundation, Let’s Talk: Mental Health
  • Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Feel Better, Live More
  • Bryony Gordon’s Mad World
  • Adrienne Herbert, Power Hour

Breathing apps:

  • BreathGuru
  • Calm
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    Baker Perkins Ltd – UK

    Manor Drive
    Paston Parkway
    Peterborough
    PE4 7AP

    Baker Perkins Inc – US

    3223 Kraft Ave. S.E
    Grand Rapids
    Michigan
    49512 2027