MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH

[JAM] There's no easy answer. I feel like it goes back to relationships - a marker that I use now is, “Does this person truly have my best intentions at heart and in mind?” I think that when you find people like that, you can be vulnerable because you feel safe, and you feel open to sharing. I think it's harder to find than it is to say. But I think trying to find those people, that core, those are the ones that are going to allow you to open up and express these things. Many of these things, probably you're saying for the first time. I think that there's a posture in people of empathy and receptiveness that I think we need to foster more among men, for sure.

[Philly] To take it in another direction as well, I think it's ego. One reason why I think it's so hard in our community for men to be vulnerable is that it's seen as a sign of weakness. Right? You don't want to go to someone that you just met or even your lifelong friend and say that, “Business isn't doing too well. So, I'm sad right now. I'm not doing the best in this area.” We don't want to show any sort of weakness. We want to make it the facade that everything is put together. We're put together, everything's successful.

I think first it's realizing that it's not even weakness; everyone is going to have ups and downs. Going back to the word vulnerability, being able to show that vulnerability and express that. I think it's tough, but if we can have more men that are like that and aren't judgmental when vulnerability is being conveyed to them, we're one step closer.