Boys are often subjected to a unique set of social expectations. From the playground to the classroom, they are taught that toughness is a virtue and that vulnerability is a flaw.
While this message might start with small comments like, “Don’t cry, be a big boy,” or “Toughen up,” it becomes deeply ingrained over time. It shapes their understanding of what it means to be masculine and contributes to the belief that strength means emotional stoicism.
As a result, these boys grow up without learning how to process or express their emotions in a healthy manner. They develop a habit of pushing uncomfortable feelings aside, stuffing them down where they remain unresolved.
This emotional suppression becomes a coping mechanism—one that may appear to work in the short term, but which leads to long-term consequences that manifest in damaging ways later in life.
#MentalHealthMatters #healthymasculinity #addictionrecovery
==========
