Be A Man

Many times I wonder what I can write about that would be uplifting to someone who battles the same things that I do.  A lot of times I want to repeat what I have already written and it is tough coming up with something new to say.  I feel like a lot of times we always hear "oh be a man" or "You'll be fine".  But a lot of times it is tougher than expected to do what others give you advice about.  I find that mental health in individuals who has anxiety and depression is important to me and I don't want you to just "be a man" or "you'll be ok", I truly want you to be ok with who you are and what this journey has taught you.  I was recently trying to explain what anxiety was to me and I found it tough.  I found it tough to express what exactly it is that I feel on a given day.  It was a struggle to explain the emotions that I feel when I have entered into a public place or am put into a situation where I know that I have to face my demons.  It is hard to express what you feel to others and that is where we pick up those general sayings.  Let's look at the first one and the title of this post: "Be a Man".  How deadly is that phrase?  I have often times found that men do not allow themselves to express what they feel when it comes to anxiety and depression because people will look at them as if they are weak.  Why would we as a society tell one gender that it is ok to express how you feel and not the other?  It is a shame that we have to hide what we feel and further dig ourselves into a hole that we can't escape.  It is important to understand what causes those emotions in yourself.  It is important to be able to work through those emotions as well.  I found myself as a kid, hiding how I felt because I didn't want to seem like I was a cry baby.  I understand that now that is simply a norm of society and how we put the added pressure on people to not show emotion.  Don't let what has been ingrained in you dictate your future.  You can always break that cycle and become someone better than you expected.  It is OK to feel those emotions and it is OK to process those emotions.  Quit digging your hole deeper, at the end of the day we are all going to pass one day, so why put yourself deeper into the ground?

For today: Tell yourself that it is normal to feel those emotions.  It is ok to talk about them as well, some people may look down on you for expressing those emotions, but at the end of the day you are becoming a stronger person.  You will become what you want to be in this world and you will accomplish what you wish in this world.  It is ok if people dont want to help you along in your journey, but don't ever let anyone tell you to "be a man" and not express yourself.  You are only self destructing if you hold everything inside.  We bubble up those emotions and they come out in the worst ways.  But if we can express what we need at certain times then we begin to grow.  As you can tell from most of my other posts, I am all about the growth of the individual.  This is just another step to accomplishing what you wish.  Stand up for yourself and your mental health today, be stronger than you were five minutes ago.  Believe in yourself and watch what you can accomplish.

Until next time,