I read this and found it a nice article to syndicate. All rights to the author. Enjoy the read.

Men are generally secretive and have been trained to be strong/bottle things up. They can thus easily go through life battling issues that no one knows or no one cares to know. That is why many men in comparison to women, commit suicide.

Men have silent battles which are common to some, and it is good to note that this is not an excuse for irresponsible behavior, but a discussion to bring about awareness and open a dialogue that can intervene with what the men in our lives are going through.

Below I highlight some of the silent battles men face:

1. The Inability to meet Society’s Standards of Being a Man: The common statements you’ll hear a man told every time are: “This is not how men behave.” “If you are man enough do this.” “Men don’t do this.” “This is not how fathers behave.” “This is not how husbands should behave.” At the end of the day, the man is wondering and struggling about the society’s standards that he seems to always come short of, that he is unaware of in the first place as he has never had a male mentor to teach him about them and guide him through them.
2. Processing Pain and Hurt without Looking Weak: I often say that, African Men don’t cry, they sweat. Why is this? Because in theory, the man lucks a platform where he can process his pain and hurt without looking weak. A man will bury a loved one, but will not shed a tear as he was taught as a man, not to show any form of emotion. In turn he is forced to be strong even in moments when strength is not required. Even as he grieves, most people around him will ask him how the grieving loved ones around him are holding up, and not take the time to ask him how he is fairing on with the grief. You’ll find he is dying in the inside, yet he’ll continue to keep it in. Cases of chronic anger issues and violence may arise from these men, and some will medicating with alcohol, sex, gambling and drugs, all in a bid for the man to process the pain and hurt.
3. Opening up About Being Abused by his Wife or Parents: Men never talk about being abused yet men are truly being abused. This is a silent battle they face because they are afraid that if they speak out about it, they will be shamed, laughed at or called weak.
4. Lack of Appreciation and Affirmation: From a marriage stand point, I’ve had cases in my office where a husband says he works so hard to provide for the family the best way he can and it seems his efforts are not acknowledged. Despite the imperfections in the marriage, he doesn’t receive even a thank you, for the things he is doing right. His mistakes are the only things that are spoken about. Validation goes a long way in any relationship and should be implemented.
5. The Desire to Fit In and Be Accepted by other Men: This is where we lose most men to as linked to the battle men have with identity. This is where a man would indulge himself in things he normally wouldn’t, so at to fit in among his friends. He may start smoking, he may buy a luxurious car or move into an expensive house, even if his finances can’t meet the costs, all in a bid to fit in and be accepted by other men.
6. Erectile Dysfunction (impotence) and the Inability to Sire a Child (sterility): 90% of men who are battling this, will never speak about it, especially when he feels it is shared outside the bound of security, protection, and he ends up feeling exposed.
7. Sexual Temptations and Perversions: Statistically there are more men who battle with this compared to women, and it is because it is a silent battle. These also often creep in due to men lacking healthy outlets for stress.
8. Lack of Healthy Outlets for Stress: As a man, what is your hobby? Who do you talk to when you are stressed? Who is your mentor? Who is the other brother you can talk to about things that are hurting you and have a responsible non-harmful way to release stress? Men are most authentic in their hobbies. Most men lack a hobby and hence end up indulging in unhealthy irresponsible activities as outlets for stress.
9. Being Misunderstood and Not Being Listened To: Men fear judgment. They’ll thus do everything possible to protect themselves from judgment. If misunderstood, for a man to lie it is very easy because men believe that lying is self-defense. Thus to get information from a man, don’t come with a tone or language of judgment. Many men get surprised when men get listened to and this is where affairs creep in as another woman popped in and started listening to him. This is not a justification for an affair but an explanation of one of the avenues an affair creeps in through.
10. The Fear of Judgment When and If He Fails: Failure is very loud around a man’s consciousness. Men and women fear but each have a different list of fears. The highest fear in the list of a man, is the fear of failure even before it happens. Hence why some men don’t even try.

Remember, the above highlighted points are not an excuse for bad manners or irresponsible behavior, but to spark a conversation that would be able to help us be there for our fathers, sons, husbands and brothers.