Dear Men, You Don’t Have to Be Silent to Be Strong.....Men’s Mental Health Month

Dear MEN,

When was the last time someone asked you, “How are you (LIKE REALLY)?”

& when was the last time you gave an honest answer?

For most men, it has been far too long.

We often say men are “providers” “protectors” & “pillars of strength”. But rarely do we ask: What happens when the pillar starts to crack?

This June — Men’s Mental Health Month — let us have a conversation we have ALL avoided for far too long. Not just for awareness, but for understanding. Not just for men as a group, but for the individuals we love — our fathers, brothers, sons, friends, & partners.

The Loneliness Behind the Smile

Many men around us are struggling; & you would not even know or notice it.

There is the middle-aged man who wakes up early morning every day, goes to work, pays the bills, & keeps the house running — but has not had a peaceful sleep at night in months. He would not tell you he is worried. He will just say, “It is nothing. Just tired.”

There is the young man in college who puts on headphones & zones out — not because he loves music so much, but because he does not know how to quiet the voices of self-doubt in his head.

There is the newly married man who is adjusting to family expectations, work stress, & the fear of “not being good enough”, yet laughs in every group photo.

They do not always talk about it. But they feel it — deeply.

Why Are Not Men Talking?

The truth is, many men were never taught how to talk about feelings. From a young age, they are told to “be tough”, “don’t cry”, & “deal with it like a man”. Expressing emotions are seen as WEAKNESS. Vulnerability is mistaken for FAILURE.

So, when life gets HARD (& it does for everyone), many men quietly pull away instead of reaching out. They suppress. They distract. Some overwork. Others drink. A few shut down completely.

We do not see it. Or maybe we see it but do not know how to respond. & in that silence, PAIN GROWS.

Mental Health Is Not Just a ‘Women’s Issue’

Let us stop pretending that anxiety, depression, or burnout have a gender.

In India, every hour, a man dies by suicide.

Not because he was WEAK. But because he felt & he had no one to turn to. No space. No outlet. No permission.

Think about that.

A hard-working autorickshaw driver who can not meet school fees of his child & feels ashamed to ask for help.

A schoolteacher who puts on a brave face in class but cries in the staff room alone.

A man in a happy marriage who still feels disconnected from himself & does not know why.

Mental health is real for them, TOO. & it matters.

Healing Starts in the Smallest Ways

NO, healing DOES NOT always begin in a therapist’s office or at a mental health seminar. Often, it STARTS in small, quiet moments.

Like a son telling his father, “It is okay if you are not okay.”

Like a partner finally admitting, “I have been feeling low lately, & I do not know what to do.”

Like a friend saying, “I am here. No judgment. Just talk.”

For many men, even saying “I am struggling” feels like climbing a mountain. But once said, the air gets lighter.

What Can We Do — As Family, Friends, & Society?

Listen MORE, & advise LESS. Do not try to FIX everything. Sometimes a man just needs to be heard.

Check-in regularly. A simple “How are you holding up?” can mean the world.

Model openness. If you share your own emotional ups & downs, it gives others permission to do the same.

Stop making jokes at the cost of emotions. Crying does not make a man “less of a man”.

Encourage therapy or help without shaming. It is a tool, NOT a last resort.

To the Men Reading This

You do not have to be silent to be respected.

You do not have to carry everything alone to be loved.

You do not have to break down in secret.

You are allowed to pause.

You are allowed to feel.

You are allowed to heal.

Maybe no one told you this growing up, so let me say it now: YOU matter, even when you are not okay.

This Men’s Mental Health Month, let us do more than raise awareness. Let us build safer homes, workplaces, & friendships — where men do not have to wear emotional armor all the time. Because being human is not a FLAW; it is our STRENGTH.