Both men and women face their own unique struggles in our society. For men, we are encouraged to suppress our emotions, being constantly told to man up and avoid showing vulnerability. There is also a stigma around seeking support for mental health concerns, which can exacerbate issues that we may need support for. There are unrealistic expectations of what masculinity is, and these expectations are put on us. As we age, we tend to lack emotional support systems due to the need to sacrifice relationships to improve our social standing and financial opportunity. While this list is not exhaustive, these tend to be major concerns that I see men struggle with.

Can you imagine walking around on a broken ankle due to being told it is weak to seek medical attention? That is what many of us are encouraged to do, as there is an idea that being vulnerable and talking about our problems is analogous with complaining. The difference between working through our problems and venting is that we are trying to solve them, not merely attempting to make them worse.