For a long time, men have been told to be strong and to handle things on their own. They can’t cry or talk about their feelings without being seen as weak. In reality, it’s not weak; it’s normal.
We all go through hard times and emotions like stress, sadness and fear. The difference is that men are often taught to hide it. That pressure of holding things inside builds up over time, and it can lead to anger, burnout and loneliness.
Talking about what you are going through doesn’t make you less of a man. It just means you’re choosing to deal with your problems instead of burying it and hoping it goes away on its own.
The last thing I would ever want is for my brother or husband or any guy I know to feel like they can’t come talk to me or someone else about what they’re going through. That sounds horribly lonely. I was frustrated when my uncle would tell me to “walk it off” when I felt physical pain; I’d hate to be told to tough out my emotions all the time.
It helps to remember that mental health is not only about crisis situations. Of course, it involves that, but there’s more to it than that. It’s about taking care of yourself before things fall apart.
We need to change how we talk about this. We should not expect men to always “tough it out.” Strength can also look like saying, “I need help.”
Everyone deserves the chance to not go through something alone. If we can normalize men talking about their mental health, maybe more people will realize that they can be strong and also be vulnerable.
When men talk about their feelings, they show the children growing up into adults like them that feelings aren’t something to hide. They remind all of us that being strong is not about keeping things to yourself. It’s about asking for help when you need it.
