You may see girls getting together for a girl’s night as they share their inner feelings with their heart to hearts. Why is it we do not see that with men? If more men had close bonds with their friends, their mental health would improve and be more comfortable speaking to others.
The Importance of Friendship
Social interactions will make you more satisfied with life in general. It is a good feeling to know that there is someone there to support you when you are feeling down. If you feel like you do not have a strong enough social group, you will have to hide your mental health symptoms from your peers. If you can find a few good people in your life that you can turn to when life appears too hard to handle, you will feel confident taking life head-on. Men will realize that having deeper relationships with their friends will lead them to a stronger sense of self.
Why Men Have Fewer Friends
When men enter romantic relationships, they feel like the person they should be leaning on is their spouse. That anyone else outside of their life should not be the go-to in regards to sharing thoughts and feelings. Men may feel like work and family should be prioritized more than their friends. There is also a stigma with men sharing their feelings with their friends as they are afraid that telling their friends they have anxiety or depression is a weakness. Men may not know whether it is socially acceptable to open up to another friend about something as serious as mental illness or that they need help. Men should naturally be comfortable opening up to others.
How Men Can Improve Friendships
Men should recognize the importance of true friendship and place them in the same priority as work and family. You can start by having a meaningful conversation with a friend. If you start this, other friends will feel comfortable following suit. You may realize that you have friends that are better at listening and then others that are better at putting a plan into action. If your friend turns out not to be so helpful, do not give up. There will be another person there who is ready to pick you up when you need it. Having a strong friendship will improve your self-esteem and help make you appreciate life a lot more.
Located in Georgetown, Texas, Alta Loma is a transformative living center to help those struggling in early recovery to transition out of our Psychiatric and Substance Abuse inpatient center. Alta Loma believes that addiction is born from an untreated mental illness in which our facility is willing to help you. Our facility offers residency, medication management education, individualized treatment, life skills education, 12-step support, and more tools to bring patients the confidence to be able to live an independent life. For more information, please call us at 866-457-3843.
