Men's Mental Health Month: Honoring Emotions, Redefining Strength
June is Men's Mental Health Month, which offers a time to pause, reflect, and engage in honest conversations about how men experience, express, and carry their emotions.
While as a society, we have made progress in reducing mental health stigma, many men still struggle in silence. Messages like “be strong,” “man up,” “shake it off,” or “deal with it alone” are deeply ingrained. But true strength isn’t about suppressing emotions, it’s about learning to carry them, express them, and be supported through them.
Why It’s Hard for Men to Ask for Help
Cultural expectations continue to send the message that being a man means being invulnerable. As a result, many men are less likely to seek out or ask for help, even when they’re feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, or disconnected.
And yet, the need for support is real:
Men are at significantly higher risk for suicide.
Depression in men often shows up as irritability, substance use, or physical symptoms, making it harder to recognize.
Many men feel isolated, even when they appear “fine” on the outside.
If any of this resonates with you, or someone you care about, please know you are not alone.
A New Path to Healing
In my therapy practice, I’ve witnessed how powerful connection, and emotional honesty can help men identify and reclaim their inner lives. Here are just a few ways men I've worked with have reconnected with themselves:
Journaling or voice-recording thoughts when speaking feels too difficult
Spending time in nature to decompress and ground
Using music, art, or movement to express complex emotions
Talking through relationship patterns or early life experiences with a trusted therapist
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. Every man deserves a personalized path to well-being. All humans need and deserve support.
Questions for Reflection
Whether you identify as a man or care deeply about one, here are a few questions to consider:
Do I give myself (or the men in my life) permission to feel deeply?
Have I been pushing through stress without checking in on how I’m really doing?
What might it feel like to reach out for support instead of carrying it all alone?
You Are Not Meant to Carry It All Alone
Therapy can be a place where the masks come off. A place where you don’t have to fix it, hold it together, or go it alone. It’s a space to be yourself, honestly, imperfectly, and without judgment.
This month, and every month, I am committed to holding space for men and their emotional lives. If you're curious about therapy or wondering if it might help, I invite you to reach out.
You deserve support.
When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.
