24/07/2026
There is a dangerous expectation that men should be completely unemotional, unaffected by life, and carry whatever comes their way as if it leaves no mark. 🚫🧱 That is a lie. Everything we experience impacts us. 🌩️💔
When grief, stress, or pain gets swept under the rug, it does not disappear. 🕳️ It manifests later as road rage, burnout, or numbing through alcohol and drugs. 🚗💥🍺 It is completely unreasonable to expect anyone to walk through life pretending everything is fine when it is not. 🙅♂️❌
People often say men do not talk, but the reality is that society rarely makes room for men to open up without judgment. 🗣️🚪 However, culture can shift whenever🔨✨ a leader in a group starts to speak up about their struggles, it gives every man around them unconscious permission to say, I am not okay either. 🤝🛡️
I was talking with blackbelt legend today about how the simple act of shaking hands at the end of a bjj class; 🥋🤝 for some men, that handshake and hug at the end of a class is ITERALLY the only physical human contact or warmth we will recieve that day. 🫂⚡ We joked that maybe half of us are on the mats just because we need a hug 🥋❤️
We need micro-moments. ☕👋 A brief check-in with the barista, bumping into an old friend, or a chat with a stranger in the sauna. These micro-interactions feed the soul when life gets heavy and help us let off steam 🔋🌱
Even for those blessed with loving families, faith and friends, carrying the weight of being a dad, a husband, looking after your health, and a provider takes a silent toll. 🏋️♂️🏠👨👩👧👦 are we expected to keep going forever without ever having a bad day? 📈🧱
We need to build social safety nets. 🕸️🤗 Real strength includes empathy, love, and emotional intelligence/ 🤍✨ not being a robot.
If you notice a friend has stopped showing up to the gym/gurdwara/work or their personality is changing, send them a message/give them a 📞/or go for a walk 📱💬 Check in. That simple gesture can change someone's day/week/state. ☀️🤝
Let us learn to swim together before anyone starts drowning. 🌊🏊♂️💙
