Men: make your mental health a priority!

As your body changes through physical fitness, so does your mind when addressing mental wellness. While it may feel like a simpler decision to begin to work on your outward appearance, taking time to work on becoming mentally fit has benefits that go much further than skin deep.

Yet, with the rush of modern life, some men still struggle with making their mental health a priority.

So much so, that the disparity between how men and women treat their mental wellness differ tremendously.

There is no biological difference in being predisposed to emotional instability or to cultivate the ability to express feelings between men and women. Both men and women experience depression as well as the full spectrum of all mental illness yet women are diagnosed at alarmingly higher rates than men.

Almost 70% of all suicides are by men. Which means that men are struggling  with their mental wellness and not seeking professional treatment to help them cope and feel good in their lives.

As a society, phrases like ‘Man Up’ and ‘Be a Man about it’ shield men from acknowledging their own unique spectrum of emotions. Instead of knowing that it’s acceptable to feel sad, overwhelmed, and cry, many men have been conditioned to ‘suck it up,’ dangerously suppressing real emotional truths about who they are and how they feel. Men are encouraged to lean into reactions such as anger and rage, with a mild understanding that these too are emotions that deserve a secure setting to be expressed without taking a personal victim.

Many men have been conditioned since childhood to tough it out, suck it up, and keep on moving forward. With this programming, it’s understandable why some men don’t feel comfortable reaching out to mental health professionals. Because of this conditioning however, some men are so out of touch with their unique emotional spectrum that they don’t even realize they are depressed or consumed by thoughts that leave them feeling enraged, less then and unworthy.

This conditioning is a disaster for men’s mental health.

Of course, not all men are the same. Some men find the willingness to speak up about how their thoughts are affecting their lives. Yet many still find it terribly uncomfortable.

Men, it’s time to make your mental health a priority!

Here’s a few things you should know:

Emotional are normal.

You were not designed to be stoic.

A range of emotions, including stress, sadness, and depression simply mean that you are a human being experiencing life through your unique lens.

The suppression of your mental health is killing you at alarming rates.

The lack of awareness and connection to your ability to express emotions is causing further repression.

You deserve to be happy.

You deserve to not feel imprisoned by your thoughts.

Mental Wellness is a muscle that can be trained.

Like being in the gym, your mental health enhances when you take time to work on it.

If you don’t know where to begin with exercise, you seek out professional advice.

When you don’t know how to begin with unpacking your mental wellness, seek professional support for guidance.

Therapy is not dramatic.

Therapy is not about laying on a couch, bawling uncontrollably about your upbringing.

Therapy is a safe place to acknowledge your experiences and talk aloud with a professional about how they are affecting you.

Men, your mental health is worth your time. You deserve happiness. You deserve a safe space to feel into your life experiences.

Inner Clarity in Hazlet, New Jersey works with men to help quantify where they currently are in their lives and where they’d like to go. At Inner Clarity, our therapists help men to set goals and learn to rate how they feel so they have an understanding of how to progress toward a life feeling more fulfilled. Our therapists employ techniques such as CBT, EMDR, and Brainspotting; evidenced-based practices used to address depression, anxiety, and trauma. Inner Clarity offers a safe space for men to unpack their thoughts and decompress from their day. an appointment now and get on the path to nurturing your mental health and feeling better, today!