“Real men don’t cry.”

Have you heard that one before?

Most people in the United States hide their sadness. They might learn this from watching action movie heroes, opening up around unsupportive friends, or mimicking how their parents deal with emotional pain. As a result, many people believe that showing feelings makes them look weak, and no one wants to seem weak. 

When we keep our feelings to ourselves, it's like a pot on the stove with the lid on tight. The steam builds up inside. We need to let out our feelings sometimes. If we don't, we can start feeling even more unhappy. 

Can you remember when your joyful light started to dim?  

For me, it was a compilation of events: being sexually molested, the death of our beloved family dog, and my grandma dying.

All of those things are heartbreaking in themselves. What added to the heartbreak was using the wrong tools to try to feel better. I turned to drugs and alcohol, food, and anything else that would temporarily numb my pain rather than using tools to truly help me heal and feel joy again. 

Do the tools you’re using work, or do they keep you in a cycle of temporary relief followed by more heartache?

If you haven’t found healing, please watch this video and learn more about the power of The Grief Recovery Method: