“Where's the Men's Department?” - A Conversation About Mental Wellbeing

Welcome to Serene Creations blog,

This month's post was sparked by a very brief conversation during one of our recent events, where a gentleman walking past our stall joked, "Where's the men's department in this place?"

To set the scene, it was a family fun day. There was a tarot reader in one corner, a mermaid in another, and plenty of stalls, activities and local businesses in between. There was something for everyone, and this light-hearted comment got us thinking.

Our branding uses soft pastel colours, with a purple tablecloth displaying our products. At first glance, some people may assume we only sell stereotypically feminine items. To be fair, we do have products that naturally appeal more towards women, such as our jewellery and our Divine Feminine Crystal Set.

But almost everything else on our table is designed with everyone in mind, regardless of age or gender. After all, everyone has physical health to look after, and everyone has mental wellbeing to look after too.

Anyone can benefit from a weighted eye pillow to help them relax after a stressful day, soothe a migraine or settle into a better night's sleep. Anyone can carry a discreet worry stone in their pocket for moments of anxiety or restlessness. Anyone can enjoy completing a jigsaw to switch off for a few minutes, or use a wellness journal to keep track of their sleep, hydration, mood and energy levels.

So why do some people see soft colours and wellbeing products and immediately assume they aren't for them?

There isn't one simple answer, but one place to start is with generational attitudes.

The gentleman who commented was from an older generation. Many men grew up hearing phrases like "man up" or "boys don't cry," believing they should simply get on with things without asking for help. Those beliefs weren’t necessarily created with ill intent, as phrases were often used as coping mechanisms during difficult times throughout history. Still, over time, they've contributed to the idea that emotional vulnerability or looking after your mental health is somehow less masculine (Baral et al., 2022).

Although awareness around mental health has improved enormously over recent years, these attitudes don't just disappear overnight. They can still influence how people view therapy, self-care and even simple wellbeing tools.

As a result, many men still find it hard to seek support. Some worry about appearing weak, some feel they should solve problems on their own, and others simply don't see mental wellbeing resources as something designed with them in mind. Unfortunately, these barriers can sometimes lead people towards unhealthy coping mechanisms instead of reaching out for support (Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, 2023).

Thankfully, this conversation is changing.

Campaigns and resources such as Movember, Andy's Man Club, CALM, and Mind continue to raise awareness, encourage conversations, and remind men that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

This idea was reinforced at another event we attended, and it was a lovely reminder that positive changes are happening for our younger generations. 

A mum and her young son stopped by our stall, and she bought him one of our anti-anxiety breathing necklaces, a tool designed to calm the nervous system down when needed. Rather than seeing it as jewellery, she saw it as a practical tool that could help him manage anxious moments. 

By doing this, and without even thinking about it, this mum was teaching her son that it’s ok to recognise when you’re struggling, that there are positive tools and support that can help him, and that it’s ok to look after your mental wellbeing. 

Perhaps this is where real change begins, not with huge campaigns alone, but with everyday conversations, small acts of encouragement and showing boys from a young age that their mental health matters just as much as anyone else's. 

Our little pastel stall may never have a "men's department", but maybe it doesn't need one, because mental wellbeing was never meant to belong to one gender in the first place.

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References:

NHS. (2023) Men’s health: Breaking the stigma of masculine identity and help-seeking. Available at: https://www.gatesheadhealth.nhs.uk/news/mens-health-breaking-the-stigma-of-masculine-identity-and-help-seeking/ (Accessed: 18 July 2026).

Baral, S.P., Prasad , P. and Raghuvamshi, G. (2022) Mental Health Awareness And Generation Gap - PMC - NIH, The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9129327/ (Accessed: 18 July 2026).