Seeking counseling is a masculine move
By Staff
Men must make sure they respect and protect their MENtal health. For ages, men have been dismissive and cavalier about the concept of mental health, mental hygiene, and counseling. Men often shy away from counseling because deep down we’re scared to look weak, inadequate, limited, dumb, or that we just don’t have it together.
How do you handle and manage the stress and pressures of life? As men we often times let society attach demands, and tack expectations on us. And we silently allow and accept these expectations and demands. Over time we end up walking around with an accumulation of expectations of things we never consented to.
We are taught not to complain, we are taught to be the beast of burden and bare it. However, society and even our personal circles don’t give us the help, the support, the resources, the encouragement to perform and execute. So we walk around with a head full of problems, a head full of stress, unresolved conundrums, quagmires, and incomplete tasks. ….and that only adds fuel to the fire. Men are often judged by their ability to solve and fix things.
Frequently we see news stories of young men snapping and committing some of the most horrific atrocities. They were broken. We never know what is the breaking point of each man, and we never know what capacity of stress they can handle. We only assume, but nobody knows the amount of internal anxiety a man may have about where he is in life and what to do.
What may be a small problem to me , may be a huge stressful dilemma to another man due to HIS limited experience, lack of resources, lack of options, lack of help, and lack of counseling. To further complicate matters, instead of seeking counseling, many of us men will turn to alcohol and illicit drugs to cope, or numb the pain of failure and lack of solutions. This in turn can evolve into addiction and substance abuse.
Listen.
It is ok to exercise the word “No”. Learn to preserve you inner sanctum and sanity. It is okay to rest your spirit, body and mind.
There is nothing weak about seeking counseling. For centuries we had our elders, our griots, our village, our master teachers, our rites of passage. All men need input from a battle tested source or someone proficiently trained and skilled in problem solving, someone that can give you another or numerous perspectives on how to view and perceive your current situation and circumstance. Often times, we sit to ourselves and remain stuck because our solution is limited to our PERSONAL experiences.
However when you seek proper counseling and restorative, productive input, correction and help, you automatically start reducing your stress load. Just like weightlifting in a gym, you may have a heavy weight on your chest you can’t lift alone, but if you have a trainer that will spot you, and give you the vocal encouragement and physical help, you can push that weight off your chest to complete a repetition. Overtime you build endurance and strength and you learn various tips to push past that weight and reach new levels of fitness.
Now there are actual physiological chemical imbalances that affect us and have an overarching impact on our lives and those closely linked to us. Medical help should also be considered when actual physiological imbalances impact us.
A problem is only a problem when you don’t have a solution. Don’t tap out at life because you failed to seek help and counseling. Get that therapy!
the solutions, the answers and remedies to help you mitigate life’s challenges and obstacles may be on the other side. Stay well
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