June marks Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month—a time to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and create space for men to talk about what’s often kept hidden.
From a young age, many boys are taught the same silent code: Be strong. Don’t cry. Don’t talk about it. Get over it. These messages don’t disappear as men grow—they evolve into quiet suffering, emotional isolation, and for too many, untreated mental health conditions.
The Cost of Silence
The consequences of emotional silence are staggering. Men are significantly less likely than women to seek help for mental health struggles, yet they’re more likely to die by suicide. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, men died by suicide at a rate nearly four times higher than women in recent years.
And it’s not just about crisis. Many men live with persistent anxiety, depression, anger, and stress—but don’t have the tools or permission to speak about it. Instead, they cope through withdrawal, substance use, overworking, or numbing out.
What Healing Can Look Like
Healing doesn’t mean fixing yourself—it means getting to know yourself and learning how to care for your mental and emotional needs.
In therapy, men often learn how to:
- Understand and express emotions in a healthy way
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Improve communication in relationships
- Break generational patterns
- Build confidence and self-awareness
Practical Steps to Take Towards Healing
- 1: Use Emotional Check-Ins: Men are often conditioned to ignore or suppress feelings. Regular check-ins foster emotional awareness, making it easier to communicate needs and alleviate internal pressures.
What to Do: Take 2-5 minutes daily to name what you are feeling, without judgment. Utilize a feelings wheel or feelings chart to identify the exact emotions that you are experiencing, also tune into any physical sensations that you might notice. Use a journal, voice memo, or mood tracker app like MindDoc to help you notice any trends or patterns.
- 2: Create a Safe Outlet: Healing doesn’t always mean big breakthroughs. Sometimes it is simply about safe expression. When emotions have a place to go, they no longer control you.
What to Do: Find at least one healthy outlet to process emotions. This can be a physical outlet, such as running or boxing, or it may be a creative outlet like writing or painting. Or it may be identifying a friend or family member whom you trust and can safely express your emotions to.
- 3: Challenge One Internalized Belief: Healing begins with unlearning. Replacing just one harmful belief with a more balanced truth creates room for growth and self-compassion.
What to Do: Identify one unhealthy belief about masculinity or emotions that you were taught and question it. It may be: “Crying makes me weak,” or “I have to deal with this alone.” Question the validity of the beliefs and whether they are true.
Need Additional Support?
If you find that you are struggling to carry it all on your own, I offer therapy services for individuals and couples, including a safe space for men to work through life’s challenges. If you’re curious about starting therapy, feel free to reach out!
