Having this new personal blog has finally given me an opportunity to blog about men’s mental health, which is a hugely important factor that cannot be ignored in life.
If you’re a man, you cannot ignore the thoughts and feelings you’re having that’s bubbling beneath the surface. If you’re a woman, you cannot disregard or make light of the struggles for the men in your life. No matter how you identify yourself in 2024, men’s health is important for everyone.
The men of the world can undertake a tremendous amount of responsibility, as a father, a son, a husband or just as a member of society. Whether it’s by choice or not, others may look to you as a leader or a powerful person whether you want that kind of responsibility or not… just because you’re a man. Just because you’re the biggest person in the room may not mean that you’re the strongest person in the room.
…at least, you may not THINK that you’re the strongest.
I find it hard sometimes, as a man, to acknowledge the strength that I have. I’m not talking about physical strength, although I’d like to think I could hold my own ;). I’m talking about strength in my character. The strength to be able to stand up for myself against anyone, no matter what their gender is. It’s a trait which feels like it’s slipping away for the men of the world (including me) given the emphasis placed on recognising the strength of everyone in the world rather than a select few.
Is this post going to motivate you to assert your manhood and start to push people around? Of course not. You really shouldn’t have anything to prove or something you need to show off to prove that you’re a man. If you’ve put food on the table for your family or you’ve worked towards a personal goal, that’s more proof of your manhood to yourself than anything else.
This post is, I guess, intended to motivate the men reading it to really appreciate themselves and the pivotal role you play in our society. We’ve been the men that have built cities brick-by-brick and we’re the men that will continue to build and help our society towards a better future.
That’s what people tend to forget about the men of the world. When you have news stories published that completely villify men or popular media released with heroic females battling evil males, it’s like the world is telling you which genders are better than others. In reality, the men are more heroic and crucial to the world than even the MEN THEMSELVES realise.
I hope this month has been a reminder for the men out there that their lives and feelings are important. They are an important aspect of society that we all need to embrace. Most importantly though, the men themselves need to embrace this too. It’s OK to not act so macho one day and let it all out. Everything.
You’re not the bad guy. You don’t have to be the strong guy all the time. Sometimes, you need let yourself break down so you can build the pieces back up again. It’s what we do. We build things back up again and we can build ourselves up stronger than ever.
It’s just a matter of acknowledging that those feelings exist and doing whatever you need to do to let them out.
Talk to someone if you need to…
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