10/01/2026
Maybe the problem isn’t that men won’t open up… Maybe it’s that we keep telling them to ‘man up.’”
That phrase may sound motivating, but for many men it feels like a command to carry more, feel less, and suffer quietly.
“Man up” often translates to:
❌Don’t cry
❌Don’t struggle
❌Don’t ask for help
❌Your pain is inconvenient
❌Figure it out yourself
❌Failing is not an option
And over time, that pressure becomes a prison.
Men are fighting silent battles, with identity, expectations, provision, rejection, shame, and fatigue. Not because they are weak…but because they’ve been taught that strength means silence.
🛑 We don’t need men to ‘man up.’ We need men to open up, heal up, and show up, whole.
When we remove the pressure to perform masculinity, we make space for emotional health, deeper connection, and true resilience.
Men don’t need another standard to live up to. They need safety, to be honest, to be seen, to be supported.
If you are a man reading this: You are not failing because you feel. You are human, and healing begins there.
Let’s raise men who are not just tough on the outside, but whole on the inside.
👉 What did “man up” sound like in your life?
From Hasley Placide Mens Mental Health Advocate | Life Coach | Counsellor
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