What’s your positive examples of men, fathers, friends, work colleagues, brothers, etc where they were or are emotionally available?
I feel in todays’ society, men are pressured to fit into this image of having to be emotionless. Thus most of us grow up in empty homes with emotionally absent fathers. That sucks and I don’t want my kids to have to suffer such such
I won’t reply probably but I’m interested in your answers. Thanks in advance!
PS;nsfw
Also, this is why I often would indulge in watching porn - because I crave emotional connection/availability. But I don’t need to have my mind cluttered with these images and so, hence I want to practice being emotionally self-aware, present and safe
Start by diving into “positive” emotions, because that’s an easier starting point than sharing fears/worries/doubts/etc.
Tell people when you’re happy about something. Notice and give compliments about things you like in others. Share music you love, and talk about why you love it.
Ease your way into expressing emotions by building this foundation, and where you go from there is up to you.
In addition to this, understanding the emotions you are experiencing and being able to put a name to them will help. A lot of cultural expectations pressure men to only feel anger/happiness, but there is so much more nuance. Being able to recognize that and, eventually, communicate it will be massive to this undertaking.
I’d recommend using something like an emotion wheel to define how you are feeling at any given moment in time.