The Dark Ink

Men and Emotions: Opening a Haven for Him to Speak His Truth

The world demanded strength from you before you even had a chance to breathe.
The world was too cruel, too soon, for you;

From the moment they are born, men are taught to wear these ironclad gears, expected to build unbreakable walls instead of building bridges to close the gap. They are taught to act instead of assess.
To protect instead of reflect.
To follow blindly and make no use of their hearts, as if logic alone can carry the weight of being a human.

You were forced to be strong
before you were ever allowed to feel.
Expected to show no emotion,
no cracks, no softness.

They asked you to be a boulder —
unshaken, unfeeling —
as if you were carved from stone,
not born from tenderness.

As if you deserved no warmth,
no compassion, no grace.
As if your softness was something to hide,
a weakness to be corrected.

As if touching your femininity
meant losing your strength —
when in truth,
it’s the very thing that makes you whole.

🖤 The Weight of Pretending

But how long can a man live pretending he is made of stone?
That he carries no emotion, no compassion, no gentleness — the very things that make him human.

Better yet, how long will we keep pretending that men don’t need tenderness, too?
That they don’t crave the same love, care, and safety they so freely give?
That they don’t deserve safe spaces built for them — to rest, to release, to simply be?

Because the truth is, they do!
Men feel deeply. They ache, they break, they long, they love.
They just learned to hide it better.
(No person in the world is ready to attend to a person who is not a woman!)
Behind every steady, stern voice, there is a storm that was never allowed to see the light of day.
Their eyes hide layers of pain, sorrow, anger and unspoken words.
They were taught to swallow it. To bury it. To shove it deep inside their hearts, because –
EXPRESSION = WEAKNESS = ENTERTAINMENT (for others)
So, they befriended Silence.

🌑 Silence and Men

Silence and men? They are besties for life.
Endurance was the first lesson men were taught, so they held it to dear life.
Men are logical; they don’t think deeply. They do not realise that befriending silence would cost them their peace!
Years and years of silence, brick by brick, they built walls, made it into a watchtower. They sit enjoying a cup of Tea/Coffee, watching their close ones drop by and try to break the ‘unbreakable’ tower.
Happy, thinking they are untouchable.

What men, sitting on top of the tower, do not realise is – They are alone. Even with company, they are alone. They happen to enjoy that loneliness. Until they grow tired of it.
From the top of the tower, the world looks small, manageable, predictable and safe. Stepping down is when it hits them, the reality of it all.

The loneliness seeps into their soul.
The control they once had cages them tighter. Binds them.
Thinking emotions are pure chaos, the real chaos being the repression of emotions.
Escape is chaos.
Running away is chaos.
Believing there is no going back — that’s chaos.

Until some saint of a person tells them the truth :
“You are allowed to climb down.
You can reach for the hands that were always extended toward you.
It’s okay to express.
It’s okay to unlearn.
It’s absolutely okay to take help — instead of always being the help.”

💬 Dear Men,

Maybe it’s time to step down from the tower.
To trade silence for softness.
To stop observing life from afar and start feeling it again.

To every man reading this — you are allowed to feel.
You are allowed to cry, to care, to crumble, and to rise.
You are allowed to be more than the armor you were told to wear.

Because strength without softness isn’t strength at all —
it’s survival.
And you deserve more than just surviving.

🌿 To Everyone Who Cares for Their Men

And to all others, who open their arms to help these warriors become less of fighters and more human, here’s how we can help them feel safe, around us, no judgment, no criticism.
Creating a safe space for us among us. Bringing everyone together in this healing journey, being their safe space, safe person, trust me, it is a beautiful feeling.

🌙 5 Powerful Ways to Build Safe Spaces for Men

1. Listen without Fixing.
This one is for everyone. We listen to fix, but sometimes, it is not about fixing, it is about the non-judgmental, safe and comfortable zone. So, start listening for the sake of listening.

2. Normalise Vulnerability.
Men fear exposure, they fear judgement, they fear the ‘lesser’ treatment. All the while being humans, they contain a similar amount of emotions and feelings that are absolutely valid. They need to feel they are valid. Make them! Ask deeper questions, share yours.

3. Acknowledge and Celebrate their Softness.
The amount of strength it takes to be soft in a world full of hate! Men are tough with a great potential to turn to their softer side, too. What they need is acknowledgement and a small celebration, something that gives them enough reward to show up softer, more.

4. Creating Space for Acceptance.
Men need to break their silences and climb down their watch towers. They will, when we show up for acceptance. With acceptance. They don’t need expensive-smelling candles, comfortable couches and sipping teas. They need a person who can just be, and let them be.

5. Remind them: It is okay to ask for Help.
One of the hardest sentences I have heard men say is “I need Help.” As rare as it is to hear, we need to normalise it into their existence. To teach them that asking for help is not surrender, it is self-awareness. That needing support doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.
Survival turns to thrival.

🖤 A Final Note

Let’s be aware enough to observe people around us. They may not directly seek help, but we can surely create such a space for them, where they feel welcomed, where they can learn to unlearn. where they can unwind, feel and express their silliest of emotions.

“Maybe the bravest thing a man can do is whisper his truth into a world that never learned how to listen.”

Until next time, we meet again with a new blog, with another topic of mental health awareness to spread,
Take care of yourselves and the men around you.
Shruti.