Blokes, chat to your friends, and you might be surprised....

[axegrinder]

Just a quickie - being a bloke is often hard because us men often find it hard to talk about things like health and inner feelings. If you are having problems of the kind that we are all in this forum for, then don't be afraid to chat to your closest pals about it. Being as my old drinking buddies are all married off as I am, have houses, work, families, etc, we don't get to chat that much, but today, met a good friend that I see about 4 times a year, and turns out he has had similar experiences for different reasons, and he was able to give me advice, he was telling me stuff about how to get out of a panic attack (breathing techniques), advising me about CBT etc - usually we talk about work, careers, a little bit of politics etc, sport, you know the stuff! I was surprised that he would have said anything else apart from telling me to get a grip!! I was so wrong....

[Jeffju]

I think we would all be surprised, as I have, just how many people you know have had different kinds of problems. It sure surprised me when friends opened up when they knew I was having problems. Good luck to you,

[gedlley56]

Thanks for your post Axegrinder, men need to get the message that talking to each other is good for us and can even be 'safe'. The reason why the suicide rate is high in men is directly linked to the issue of not discussing our feelings and that we are crap at meeting our own needs and thinking we have to 'soldier on'. Think back to when we were little boys and told to stop crying and get on, all parents need to be mindful of this particularly when little boys hurt for what ever reason.

[ellabella]

So glad you had that encounter AG, it,s nice to read something positive and helpful. Keep it up love x Ella x

[warren218]

I always feel a bit more positive when I speak to my closest mate, because he shares a lot of the same frustrations in life as me, without having the anxiety.

[Minnie12]

That's good to see positive posting here! I agreed that mens should talk more and share experience. X

[BriarRose]

Hi Axegrinder - I totally agree, men DO find it more difficult to talk about these issues - there is so much pressure on men to be "macho" and to "man up" - far more than on women - and, let's face it, women tend (not all of them but tend) to be more empathetic than men. So great you've started to talk about "stuff" - really pleased for you!

If any men live in the London area, they might be interested in this programme - go to:

time-to-change.org.uk/champ...

Good luck and great news!

Love

Rose

xxx