As a daughter, a big sister, a little sister and a friend, I felt compelled to write something for International Men\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
Much of this year has been about focusing on women\u2019s issues, and these conversations are important and long overdue. It is right that we as women are angry and calling for change, but while it is a man\u2019s world, this doesn\u2019t always mean our male loved ones have it easier.<\/p>\n
Men are more likely to hide a mental health problem.
\nMore likely to hide domestic abuse.
\nMore likely to engage in risk-taking behavior.
\nMore likely to commit violent crimes.
\nMore likely to be incarcerated.
\nMore likely to be homeless.
\nMore likely to die young.
\nMore likely to kill themselves.<\/p>\n
Much of the male behavior that harms us women, harms men too.<\/p>\n
Author and mental health advocate Matt Haig summed it up well today; \u201cToxic masculine values poison inwards as well as outwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Often we tell men what they can do to help us – but what can we do to help them?<\/p>\n
Today I want to encourage the person reading this, male and female, to think about what you could do to help the men in your life.<\/p>\n
A good place to start is to to reach out to your dad, your brothers, your friends, your boyfriend, all the important men in your life. Tell them you love them, and tell them you\u2019re there for them. Tell them they can talk to you.<\/p>\n
And then do it again next week, or the week after. And then a month after that.<\/p>\n
Be constant and be consistent.<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t be afraid of what happens.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not kid ourselves, it\u2019s hard to see the men in our life breakdown. To see your father cry, is to feel something entirely new. A pain, a fear, an uncertainty like no other. It\u2019s not much easier to watch a brother cry, a boyfriend, a best friend.<\/p>\n
It feels different somehow to seeing a woman crying.<\/p>\n
We aren\u2019t used to it, we aren\u2019t accustomed to it.<\/p>\n
But we, as a society, need to get used to it.<\/p>\n
There was more than one suicide per day last year, with men accounting for eight in ten.<\/p>\n
We need to get used to men showing emotion, showing fear, showing vulnerability.<\/p>\n
We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to the men in our lives.<\/p>\n