Mr. Perfect was founded on the premise of bringing primarily men together from any background to feel connected and supported and growing their own little community. The benefits of this are huge on mental health.
When we started we figured what better way to do this than a BBQ, and now we have 20+ running each month.
Here are five reasons why we think a BBQ is a great vehicle for what we do and can positively impact your mental health, no matter how tiny the impact:
(1) Open environment
For those with social anxiety or those that have taken months to build up the courage just to attend a Mr. Perfect Meetup BBQ, the last thing they want is to be in an enclosed space with no escape. The Meetups are usually held at public BBQ facilities in parks and therefore you can comfortably enter if you wish and casually leave too if you did not feel up to it.
(2) Fresh air
A couple of hours in the sunshine surrounded by trees and greenery is good for anyone’s health. Even better when the sun is shining and showering you with Vitamin D as it does most of the year round in Australia.
(3) Casual atmosphere
Turn up in your thongs and shorts surrounded by guys of all backgrounds chatting about life. A BBQ seems to provide a great entry point to bring people closer together to talk, usually right around whoever is cooking the food, much like a campfire!
(4) Great feed
There is not much better to bring people together and feel deep satisfaction after a solid feed. It is another great conversation starter too as most talk nostalgically about their own cookery skills (or lack of!).
(5) Non-static activity
When I ran the first ever Mr. Perfect Meetup BBQ myself for a couple of years, I found by preparing the food and cooking and “multi-tasking” was a great way not to make people feel too under pressure to tell their story. It never felt intense as I talked, juggled the snags and made sure everyone was eating; telling my story “on-the-go” felt casual and in turn made feel people comfortable.
Find out the nearest Mr. Perfect Meetup BBQ to you by going to our Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/mrperfect/
Or head to our Facebook Events page:
Leave a comment