…self-medication (drugs, opioids, alcohol, etc.) or isolation in an attempt to solve their problems on their own. This issue of masking pain is especially prevalent amongst black men.
As we move forward, we want our men to be healthy. That means it’s important for us to take a step back and honor the mental and emotional health of men, and invest in spaces that help unpack the influence of toxic masculinity that permeates through our society today.
It doesn’t make a man weak to acknowledge the fears he has about providing for his family, or the anxieties he has about existing in a world in which Black bodies are devalued. It means we can work through these fears and worries by talking with other men, whether they are friends, fathers, siblings, therapists, or soon to be new friends in group therapy or other supportive spaces. These are spaces where we can heal.