Mental Health is a topic that is extremely wide-ranged and even though the stigma attached to Mental Health still exists in a variety of aspects, things are changing irrespective of how slow the process may seem. However, when we do talk about Mental Health, as a society, we neglect “Men’s Mental Health” a lot and the first question is why does such discrimination exist? Throughout our lives, we have been told and reminded repeatedly that women form the emotional aspect of human nature whereas men are simply known in terms of their physical strength – such an idea is so strong that we fail to recognize that men do have emotions too and they should be able to express themselves openly without believing that they will be shamed, criticized or looked down upon for it. No individual should need someone else’s permission to EXPRESS their emotions so when we say “they should be allowed to” is wrong, instead using terminology which accepts it as a necessity “Men can express their emotions openly just as women do” is what will create a change in perspectives.
We recognize gender discrimination in terms of various other aspects but when it comes to Mental Health, it is a topic which is not taken into much consideration and each one of us reading this right now should question WHY? “Man up”, “Don’t be a girl”, “Stop crying”, “Be a man”, “Boys don’t cry”, “What’s wrong with you? You’re a man, behave like one” are the common phrases and statements most of us have heard all around our surrounding environments; however, we fail to understand why this is wrong. Men’s Mental Health is just as important as Women’s Mental Health – we talk about equality between men and women but why doesn’t the same equality exist when it comes to expressing oneself, too? When it comes to being vulnerable, too?
Now, with this flawed idea going around for generations, men in our society are consumed with the thought, “If I feel or if I express my emotions, people are going to make fun of me”, and letting go of such a thought after years of hearing the same thing over and over is the most difficult thing in the world. The sad part is, despite several incidents taking place, we fail to learn why, we fail to give such a topic the importance that it needs. You probably wouldn’t even realize this but the important men in your life may be struggling, they may be trying to get through their lowest points – so instead of assuming, “Oh! He’s a man so I’m sure he’s fine”, go message your close friends and ask them how they’re feeling – you will be surprised how just one question can change their world, just that ONE question.
Imagine living in a world where you fear telling people how you feel, where you fear being vulnerable, where you fear living with a mental illness, where you fear to just cry when you want to – and all this fear is developed from the deep-rooted idea created by the society which we’re living in. Take a step ahead which helps all the men around the world to become more accepting of themselves and their emotions, create a safe space for the men in your life and around you and let them know that their emotions matter too. To the men who resonate with these words or even otherwise, don’t be afraid – don’t let your negative thoughts consume you to the extent where you feel absolutely helpless, don’t let society overpower your emotions. Your emotions and your mental health matters as much as you do.
If you feel like you need some professional help with redirecting your mind to more positive pursuits, write to us at info@themoodspace.com or Book your Initial Consultation on www.themoodspace.com/freeconsultation.
Written by - Antara Jain #mensmentalhealth #equality #mentalhealth #mentalhealthblog #letthembe #freedomofexpression #itsokaytocry #breakthestigma #breakthestigmaaroundmensmentalhealth #menarevulnerabletoo #emotionsareforall #menseekhelp #menseektherapy #themoodspace #onlinecounseling #counselingforagenerationthatseesnostigma
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