No Shave November: Here Is What You Need To Know!

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[{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1509521839104","data":"Ah yes, the month of November is here, that means status updates and Instagram photos by your friends growing their beards and letting it go wild to people wishing they could grow their beards at all, the month will be dotted by folks talking about how their beard growing skills are the best and more, enough to make it insufferable at times, but hey, it's all for a good cause. <\/p>Or, it was, but turns out a lot of folks do not know the origins of the No Shave November trend and what it represents, hence the article today.  If you're participating in No Shave November, it is imperative you know what it entails and how you can help. <\/p>Before we start, however, let me make it clear that even women can participate, the idea is to forgo personal grooming for hair and collect that money to donate at the end of the month. But donate to what? <\/p>No Shave November: The Origins<\/b><\/p>Before No Shave November became a global trend, there was Movember, a portmanteau (or in less fancy English, a mash-up of two words) of Moustache and November. It traces its origins to a bunch of college students from Adelaide, Australia, growing out their moustaches in order to raise awareness about cancer and related issues that plague men the most. This soon became a national phenomenon, of course, this is Australia we're talking about, they're awesome like that. A few years later, in 2004, an unrelated group from Melbourne organised a 30-day moustache-growing challenge to raise awareness about Prostate cancer (that can only affect men) and depression (with a disproportionately large number of men suffering from depression) and would later go on to become the Movember Foundation. <\/p>The seeds for a global movement were planted, all it needed was to go viral, which it would do as internet started reaching the remote corners of the planet and the global average internet speed went up over the years.  <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1509523730143","data":"59f992f84555f"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1509523732548","data":"Split Challenges, Same Goals:<\/b> <\/p>While Movember Foundation still raises impressive amounts of money today, No-Shave November started as an offshoot somewhere along the way over the years in the last decade with the same goals. While Movember remained about growing impressive moustaches, No-Shave November rapidly gained popularity due to social media, and of course, tell a man he has a legitimate excuse to not shave for a month and he will jump at it. After gaining momentum on websites like reddit, which was where I first heard about it, it crawled to what people consider 'mainstream' websites and Facebook. This was back in 2011, which was when I started letting my beard grow as well. <\/p>For the aesthetically concerned among us, the differences between Movember and No-Shave November can cause an eye-twitch or two, but the important thing to remember is that the goals of both modern phenomena are the same: to raise awareness about Prostate Cancer and Depression in men. While cancer certainly seems to be met with the seriousness it warrants, the attitudes towards depression have a long way to go even today. In fact, the careless attitude towards depression contributes in a major way to the prevalence of depression in the first place: if one doesn't take depression seriously and treat it as a legitimate illness, people will ignore it and continue to treat it as if it is nothing. This has to change. <\/p>Understanding Depression:<\/b> <\/p>I decided to give this a special mention because depression has taken away from me people that I love. Depression has also pushed away the people I loved away from me, it has taken away some of my favourite pop-culture icons, just because they did not know how to handle it, even when they had all the fame and money in the world in their hands because depression is a disease that cannot be cured by simply saying 'just be happy'. <\/p>Depression alters the chemical composition of your brain that actively prevents you from being happy. I've been down that road, I still have phases of it every now and then. You go to bed every night wishing you die in your sleep and when you wake up in the morning, you find that your arms and legs don't work and you can't find the strength to get up and face one more day of your miserable existence. It is like living in a body that fights tooth and nail to survive that is being handled by a mind that has already given up on itself. <\/p>I wouldn't wish it on anyone, depression is hell. The people I've lost, the people the world has lost, are a constant reminder of how omnipresent this disease is and how little people know of it. It is like a Damocles sword hanging over your head, tied to the ceiling with just a strand of hair that you know is going to snap any second. The simple solution would be to move to the side, but when you are depressed, that one simple act seems impossible, like your feet are cemented to the ground and all you can do is look up at the sword and wait for it to fall. Sometimes, even pray for it to fall so something different happens. <\/p>So this one is for everyone going through depression, please go see a counseller. For my sake, for the sake of people like Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Robin Williams, and of course, primarily for yourself. Seek help, it is important. Depression is a disease and must be handled like one. It requires care and medication, do not ignore it. Do it for yourself. <\/p> <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1509524785070","data":"59f992d0cd797"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1509524787332","data":"What Can I Do To Help?:<\/b> <\/p>If you've asked yourself that question, good, it shows intent and a willingness to help, which is important. The challenge is pretty simple: avoid spending money on trimming your hair, shaving or general hair care (you can, of course, continue to shampoo and shower to keep clean, it is also important to grow a healthy beard and maintain strong hair), collect the money you would have traditionally used to shave and then at the end of the month, donate to cancer research foundations. While the movement was started to raise awareness for prostate cancer, you can choose to donate to whichever cancer fund you like. <\/p>An equally important part of the movement is to talk to people who come up to you and ask why you're growing a beard. Take a moment of your time and talk to them about prostate cancer and depression in men so that they may also be aware and make someone else aware of your cause. This is a very important aspect. <\/p>Where Can I Donate?<\/b><\/p>The No Shave November foundation has a website for its own which you can find at www.no-shave.org or by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.no-shave.org\" target=\"_blank\">clicking here<\/a>. There is also the Prostate Cancer Foundation that funds research into Prostate Cancer and is actively looking for a cure for the deadly disease. You can find them at www.pcf.org or by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcf.org\" target=\"_blank\">clicking here<\/a>. Of course, you can also find the cancer research foundation you want to fund by googling. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1509527865476","data":"59f9924c6a11b"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1509527867440","data":"That pretty much covers what I wanted to talk about here today. Make sure you raise as much awareness as you can and donate proceedings at the end of the month. Do your bit for the future of humanity! I believe in you! <\/p>Remember, this is not exclusive to men. Women can also participate and engage in a dialogue with men about their issues with depression as well as be a part of the challenge by forgoing personal grooming to donate to cancer research at the end of the month. Let us work together to make the future a better place. Happy growing! <\/p>"}]

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