My male friend past?

[Anonymous]

How should one handle a male friend whose parents grew up telling him to suck it up and disregarded his emotions?

[Oliverlogan263]

Oh man, that's a really tough situation with your male friend. It sounds like he's dealing with some deep-rooted emotional issues from the way he was raised by his parents.

Growing up being told to just "suck it up" and have your feelings disregarded can really mess a person up, you know? It can make it so hard for them to actually process and express their emotions in a healthy way.

The best thing you can do as his friend is to be there for him and create a safe, supportive space where he feels comfortable opening up. Don't judge or minimize what he's going through - really listen and validate his feelings. Let him know it's okay to not be okay sometimes.

Encourage him to seek out professional help if he's struggling, like a counselor or therapist. Having an outside, objective person to talk to can make a huge difference. You can even offer to help him find resources or set up appointments.

In the meantime, just continue being the caring, patient friend he needs. Check in on him regularly, spend quality time together, and remind him that you're there for him no matter what. Small acts of kindness and support can go a long way.

It's not going to be an easy process, and there may be setbacks along the way. But with time, understanding, and the right help, he can absolutely overcome those negative patterns and learn to embrace his emotions in a healthy way.

Just keep being that steady, supportive presence in his life. Your friendship and acceptance could make all the difference. Hang in there, girl. You got this!

[chefsam]

Listen to him and be there as a friend for him. A lot of us guys have gone through that. Shut up and keep moving is what we’re told. If we show any emotions, we’re weak; not a man. That’s the world for you. That’s why you see many guys explode with anger or have mental break downs or thoughts of suicide; cause we’re told to keep our emotions to ourselves and keep soldiering on