It is okay, Man
- Lincoln Esmie Jr.
- Jun 23, 2022
- 2 min read
June is not only known for being the beginning of summer and being a month of pride, it's a month geared towards bringing awareness to the health of men. The topic of mental health and men is not often brought up together in conversation because in society men aren’t taught to speak about how they feel or confess what’s really bothering them. Society often teaches men that expression, vulnerability, and softness are not characteristics of male masculinity.
In society's eyes, a strong man must take the hardships of life as lessons that are not talked about and his emotions should be submerged into continually upholding a narrative of "machismo". The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention advocate Andy Riggs, stated “Even though, according to the latest available numbers, men die by suicide 3.63 times more often than women. 70% of all suicides are men”. According to Mental Health America, “ men die by suicide about four times more often than women”. Now that leads me to ask why is it men face so much more mental disparities than their feminine counterparts?
The answer is simple, men are not speaking on their issues enough. We as men hide our emotions and vulnerability in the jobs we do and the communities we serve. Our voice of reason and the opportunity to release those negative emotions/thoughts are in our control, it’s just up to us to seek out help and not be afraid to do so. As a man, really ask yourself when was the last time you cried or even let your feelings loose in hopes to feel relief? What is wrong with taking a chance to develop yourself by knowing what’s really holding you back, or what's really pushing you to be so hardened? I challenge every man to seek help and showcase vulnerability because the only way to grow is to know whether that development happens to be internal or external.
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