Have you noticed that men tend to keep their emotions bottled up, especially when they're sad or upset?
Even though I'm a man, I don't find it wrong to express my feelings when I need to reach out for support and know it'll help me feel better.
A lot of my friends become quite uncommunicative when they're going through a tough time in their lives. They should be doing just the opposite.
Just like society frowns upon women who are too sexually liberal, it seems to look down on men who are in touch with and open about their emotions.
I understand that men shouldn't overdo it -- no one wants to see a guy bawling his eyes out all the time. But to constantly repress one's emotions is not healthy -- if anything, it can cause feelings of sadness or anger to intensify, making you feel even worse.
In my view, venting is soothing for the mind, body, and soul. Guys who claim that expressing how they feel to their male friends -- or, even worse, their partners -- makes them less of a man really need to wake up and smell the coffee.
I realize men are still expected to be the stronger, more rational sex, but that doesn't make us inhuman. Just like it's socially acceptable to display happiness, it should be permissible for a guy to break down in the open when he is going through a rough stretch.
As much as men might try to hide it, we are still emotional creatures, and I'm sure all the wives and girlfriends of the world -- the good, understanding ones -- would be accepting of their partner being emotionally expressive. In fact, that's a gripe of many women out there: that their partners are too emotionally insensitive.
I encourage every man to be open with his partner, loved ones, and friends whenever he's faced with challenges. You'll see that others will respect and admire you more for it.
To read prior entries, click here: How to Understand People
Even though I'm a man, I don't find it wrong to express my feelings when I need to reach out for support and know it'll help me feel better.
A lot of my friends become quite uncommunicative when they're going through a tough time in their lives. They should be doing just the opposite.
Just like society frowns upon women who are too sexually liberal, it seems to look down on men who are in touch with and open about their emotions.
I understand that men shouldn't overdo it -- no one wants to see a guy bawling his eyes out all the time. But to constantly repress one's emotions is not healthy -- if anything, it can cause feelings of sadness or anger to intensify, making you feel even worse.
In my view, venting is soothing for the mind, body, and soul. Guys who claim that expressing how they feel to their male friends -- or, even worse, their partners -- makes them less of a man really need to wake up and smell the coffee.
I realize men are still expected to be the stronger, more rational sex, but that doesn't make us inhuman. Just like it's socially acceptable to display happiness, it should be permissible for a guy to break down in the open when he is going through a rough stretch.
As much as men might try to hide it, we are still emotional creatures, and I'm sure all the wives and girlfriends of the world -- the good, understanding ones -- would be accepting of their partner being emotionally expressive. In fact, that's a gripe of many women out there: that their partners are too emotionally insensitive.
I encourage every man to be open with his partner, loved ones, and friends whenever he's faced with challenges. You'll see that others will respect and admire you more for it.
To read prior entries, click here: How to Understand People
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