Men’s therapy usually has an old-fashioned stigma surrounding it, men usually believe that they need to always have it together and just “be strong” when it comes to their mental health and won’t seek help from a therapist. Maybe you have always thought of yourself as a strong problem solver, but you find yourself feeling stressed out, angry, or frustrated. You don’t feel like you can or even should talk to someone to get help. In your mind, men need to figure it out for themselves. Going to therapy feels like an affront to your identity. And yet, here you are wondering what it would feel like to get it all out.
You have spent so much of your life holding it together. You have been the one who showed up and held it together when things were hard. Your partner, your family, your co-workers, and your friends know that they can depend on you. So, why are they worried? Something has been a little off. It may have been that you were more irritated when you missed the turn while driving or that you blew up after being denied the promotion at work.
As you soon discover, you aren’t alone. You tell a friend that you are considering looking for a therapist and he tells you that he has been seeing one. He tells you about what a relief it has been to talk about the daily stressors in life. Then, you tell your co-worker and he says that he has seen therapists off and on over the years. You never knew this about these men. You thought that they had it all together. So, you realize that maybe they showed up looking like they had it all together because they had support.
Men’s Therapy Specialist
You do your research and find a therapist who specializes in working with men. The first time you talk to the therapist, you walk away with the realization that you’re at ease. You just told someone about the things that have felt like the biggest burden, and now you feel lighter. You have been carrying such a heavy load of responsibility in just being a man.
By selectively numbing yourself of your pain or sadness, you have also numbed the feelings of happiness and contentment. So, you discover that you have to feel all things. In the past, you thought that people who expressed their feelings were weak, but now your discover that putting yourself out there actually makes you feel stronger.
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” -Brené Brown
Truth about Men’s Therapy
Here’s the truth about emotional problems and therapy. We ALL go through struggles that we don’t know how to get out of and we didn’t expect. It is during these times that we have to take seriously how we feel both physically and emotionally in order to come out stronger on the other end. Therapy can be the catalyst to help men explore their inner world and begin to understand the lacking emotional elements that would help them to feel whole. When we feel whole, we show up for the people we love and care about.
So, what are you waiting for? There is no better day than today to reach out. If you don’t know where to start, Psychology Today has a therapist finder feature that allows you to enter your zip code, your payment preferences, and a variety of other options.
You can find it here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists. Take the leap and start your journey of becoming more you.
How I Can Help
If you want additional support, I offer a couple of options:
- If you want therapeutic support, book a free 15 minute consultation with me at www.tribemindbody.com
