“I can’t do this anymore.” Most young men don’t say that out loud. They carry it quietly. You’re 18–22. You’re expected to be motivated, confident, independent, and grateful. You’re told this is the “best time of your life.” But inside, you feel exhausted. Flat. Irritable. Lost. Like you’re constantly behind no matter how hard you try.
You might still be functioning, even going to uni, working, training, earning, showing up. But functioning isn’t the same as being okay. A lot of men this age don’t want to die. They just want the pressure to stop. The thoughts don’t sound dramatic. They sound practical:
“I’m tired.”
“I’ve tried everything.”
“I don’t see a way forward.”
“I can’t keep pretending.”
“I just want it to stop.”
And because you’ve learned to cope by staying silent, you assume this is something you should deal with alone. You were never taught how to regulate emotions. You were taught to push through them. So fear becomes anger. Sadness becomes numbness. Overwhelm becomes shutdown.
When men say, “I just want solutions,” what they usually mean is:
“I’m scared to fall apart.”
“I don’t know how to talk about this.”
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
That makes sense. Counselling isn’t about dumping your past or being made soft. It’s about stabilising your nervous system, understanding what’s happening inside you, and learning how to carry life without it crushing you.
If this post feels like it’s speaking directly to you, pause. That reaction matters. It’s not weakness, it’s awareness.
You don’t have to be in crisis to deserve support. You don’t have to wait until you break. You don’t have to do this alone.
malemindscounselling.com - Supporting young men who are tired of carrying everything in silence.
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