men's mental health

Men struggle from mental health issues including anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and addictions. Unfortunately, they are far less likely to seek help than women are. Let’s face it, as men, we often tend to brush off or bottle up our emotions rather than process them. We look at therapy and mental health as a sign of weakness. There’s that stigma that, as men, we should learn to just “suck it up”. “Real men solve their own problems” is a common stereotypical belief. Research shows that men simply do not want to seek help for mental health issues. Additionally, men who do seek help usually do it when there is a crisis. Men tend to have more concern about privacy as they do not want therapy to affect their image, position or standing. Social norms indicate that men should not be showing certain emotions like emotional vulnerability, fear, sensitivity, or dependence. Expressing these emotions could be perceived as less masculine. However, refraining from showing your emotions can actually make things worse. Bottling up those emotions leads to more explosive reactions in the long run. It’s like having that pop bottle and shaking it while the cap is still on. Every shake represents a negative emotion. But what happens when you open that pop bottle? 

Wings to Fly Counselling is here to support men or those who identify as men in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. As a male counsellor, I am offering a space for you to work on your anger and irritability, to discuss your fear of intimacy or affection, or to express those emotions you may have felt are unacceptable in your upbringing. Let’s work together and break that stereotypical belief that therapy is a sign of weakness. The first step is to reach out and seek that help.