bottle up

I feel like most men grow up learning to “control their emotions”. And by control, most men just learn how to shut themselves down and bottle things up.

And that’s not sustainable control. That’s thinking short-term, and it’s also really easy. Or at least it’s become really easy over years of doing it. I suspect it’s still the easier way to deal with things than confronting each thing that makes us emotional and giving that thing the time, energy, and individuality it deserves.

I don’t have a solution to this way of thinking. It’s not just men either, but I suspect it affects more men than women. I think you have to choose your battles, learn how it feels when you have bottled up too much, learn how to destress and let go when you need to.

Occasionally taking your foot off the gas might hurt your ego, but it’s better for you.