Mental Health Awareness for Men

You can invest in a lot of things in life, but few of them have the potential to

transform your life. Most men find it hard to believe that Mental Health Counseling is

one of those things. I recently had a client who never considered therapy even though

his friends and family prompted him to get help on numerous occasions. For over three

years he constantly doubted and criticized himself, struggled with fits of anger, and had

persistent bouts with anxiety. During a six month stretch he began losing sleep, chest

tightness, headaches, overcome with stress and a feeling of dread. He said he was just

pushing through it, but felt increasingly drained.

As men, the lengths we will go to avoid seeking out support when we know the

burdens of life are crushing us, can seem mystifying. Renowned psychologist Carl Jung

once said, “what you resist, not only persists, but will grow in size.” Ironically, when we

suppress inner conflicts it’s an attempt to protect ourselves, yet this resistance usually

compounds our troubles. Fellow men, we seek comfort in avoidance not because it

works or produces growth, but we lack the emotional skills to know how to do anything

different. Many of us weren’t taught the importance of emotional health and maturity.

This is where therapy comes in to help bridge that gap.

Results don’t always happen this quickly, but my client started experiencing

tremendous relief after three weeks of Counseling. After opening up about a harmful

relationship that shattered his confidence, he stopped blaming himself for everything

and learned how to talk through his negative feelings. This client even started talking to

his trusted friends about his journey to emotional health and having his own therapist.

He told me he hadn’t felt this unburdened and self-confident in over six years.

Men, it’s time to seek healing and growth instead of avoidance and grit. Therapy

can be life-changing and you are worth the investment.

Alex White, LCMHC