Man Up? Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health1 min read

June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. But awareness feels hollow when the message is “speak up” while the world throws shade at a man who cries.

We tell men to be strong, the stoic providers, the rocks of their families. We tell them silence is strength, bottling it all up the mark of a “real man.” But who taught society to flinch at a man’s tear? Who conditioned us to see vulnerability as weakness?

The truth is, silence kills. It isolates men struggling with depression, anxiety, or the weight of the world. It pushes them further into the shadows, where the only “solution” society seems to offer is a course on how to “man up” better.

Isn’t it time we stopped putting the onus solely on men to change a system that’s crushing them? “Man up” isn’t the answer. It’s a slap in the face to men who are already fighting a losing battle.

This isn’t victim blaming. This is a call to action for all of us.

Let’s dismantle the toxic masculinity that tells men to be emotionless robots. Let’s create safe spaces for them to open up, to cry without judgment. Let’s listen, truly listen, without the expectation they “fix” themselves.

Men built this world, yes, but it’s a world that’s failing half its population.

It’s time to rebuild, together. A world where men can be strong and vulnerable, a world where a tear isn’t seen as a weakness, but a sign of humanity.

This June, let’s pledge to be the change. Let’s create a world where men don’t have to choose between being strong and being silent. Let’s make it okay for men to be human.