When men silence their feelings, they hurt themselves.
So many men are trained to suck it up but God made us with emotions. In Nigeria it’s said that "body isn’t wood"; in other words, we feel things.
Truth - Abuse isn't just physical, it's also emotional.
Another piece of truth, many men suffer from consistent emotional abuse from family, spouses, etc and suffer on the inside because they are made to believe that talking about it, being vulnerable, means they are weak and "not a man".
Research from South Africa shows “that men who are victims of domestic violence are reluctant to come to terms with their predicament due to fear of being laughed at by the society, peers and police officials”. (1)
My heartfelt opinion - it's better to talk than to die within. I know of a dear friend who suffered a nervous breakdown because they kept so much hurt and pain within.
Surround yourself with people who love you. I mean people who genuinely care about you and better still can help you navigate through challenges, pain, hurt, abuse and life as a whole.
I have few friends who I can talk to but they meet the criteria above. My experience tells me that opening up to such people is exhilarating, emotionally liberating and even life changing.
So, gentlemen, don't embrace the silence, rather embrace those who care.
Sources.
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3435840
Notes : Inspired by Twitter aproko_doctor.
