My Brother, Don’t Spiritualize Stress.
Sir, stress is a medical emergency. Seek help now. Remove stress before stress removes you from the face of the earth.
Forget stories, you will always have bills to pay, a family to provide for and your personal expectations unmet. I’m yet to see a formula that excuses a man from spending money daily. Many men are under pressure. They are stressed. The issue is most men have normalized pressure and stress. He is tired and yet no one knoweth. He may be a CEO, Deacon, a General or even the President of a nation, the issue is still the same. Beneath the layers of titles and accolades, he’s exhausted and stressed. Yet, no one considers him sick because he still shows up and he has to show up.
Many men pop medications to stand on their feet because of the weight they carry. For many men, stress is a condition we all hardly admit to. When asked in the morning; “how are you, Sir?” The answer is predictable \"I’m fine\". Even, when he says otherwise, who is there to soothe his stress? Made men and struggling brothers are under stress. It’s even worse in today’s world. A world where a man is legally required to pay child support but denied the access to see the kid. The world of men is so skewed. Society teaches boys to be tough, like his father. The proof of his ‘positive masculinity’ and being a good man is his ability to be there for everyone when inwardly, he is yearning to lean on someone or just deeply exhale.
Today, there is the silent epidemic in the lives of many men and we seem not to take care. Mental health in men is too often dismissed as weakness or spiritual deficiency. To admit being tired and weak seems to be an admission that you are less of a man. The grind must go on.
In our work at Catalyst Men Network for over a decade, we\'ve seen the quiet toll it takes. We have seen men literally collapsed and died. A man was celebrating the sixty years birthday of his wife, he collapsed and died before the public glare. That’s why we believe in the Shoulder-to-Shoulder Brotherhood Care Model. Ours is a fellowship of men walking together in grace. Talk to us. We may not pay the rent that is pending but you got a shoulder to lean on. Men together, better together. Sir, no matter the pressure, you will never bear the pains alone when you decide to call on us. Because when a man is surrounded by brothers who care, the burden becomes shared. But when you are starved of connection, you carry the pressure in isolation. And what he doesn’t talk about will eventually rise up to threaten him.
This I know. No man dies suddenly. The heart attacks or cardiac arrest or the divorce don’t just happen. It’s been somewhere in the making for quite sometimes. I know of men in loveless marriages still wearing their wedding rings because of what the society will says if they know they are in an abusive marriage.
Sir, Separate thyself to refuel. Rest is not quitting. Rest is spiritual. A happy man is a happy mind. Less worry better health. Embrace the peace within. Rest. Rest is resistance against a woman, workplace or a world that wants to use you and throw you away. Call. Get a brother to call when your world is falling apart. Call us at the Catalyst Men Network. We create safe spaces for men like you to be real, raw, and restored. No judgment. You don’t have to man up. just open up man-to-man.
Embrace self-care. Suicide is not the answer. Violence won’t solve the problem. Do the crime and serve the term pays no man. Prisons lock you down for a time.
“Do not be anxious about anything... and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). I love David so much, he says; “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). These are men like me and you owning up when the chips are down.
My brother and friend, a stressed man is a liability to himself. Open up. Don’t die in silence. Don’t spiritualize suffering. Don’t confuse stress with strength. Get help. Seek counseling. Find a brother. Share your load. Would you or am I asking for too much? Shakes or nods, you got a brother in us. Call now.
For counseling, support, or to join our 7 by 7 Group, visit www.catalystmen.org