How often do you seek out emotional support?
Rarely. Though a lot of that is due to few long-standing relationships with other guys.
How often are you vulnerable with other men that you’re platonic with?
Same as above. I have two friends that I can share things with that I’ve known for about a decade each from college, but those kinds of topics rarely surface amongst us. I have another friend I’ve known for about two years now that we can go deep on conversations like that as fellow leftists who have tried to understand mental health and trauma and things like transformative and restorative justice in group settings and relationships, but I moved a long ways away from that relationship and we talk a lot less. Plus our time knowing each other is much shorter, so there are just a lot of things we likely don’t know about each other and our pasts and such. Without understanding the history as well, it makes it harder to relate and attempt to diagnose issues.
One more thing to add - my experiences with these conversations is always pretty amazing honestly. I feel like they’re super healthy for stronger relationships, and I’ve gotten to know my friends much better through these talks.
a) very rarely
b) never with a guy I’m platonic with
I’m honest about my emotions with my friends day-to-day, I don’t think much about it making me “vulnerable” because I don’t think seeking emotional support makes me vulnerable - more the opposite, that asking for and receiving help tends to build more close bonds.
AMAB and really still treated as 110% male IRL. I’m definitely more likely to seek emotional support from my fem or NB friends, but I have a couple close male friends who I would seek support from and vice versa. I probably seek out support… idk once a month? at least like, explicitly, not just venting a bit here and there and commiserating. And of that once a month maybe one in 3 is with a guy friend. And honestly those are probably over-estimates. recently I’ve been doing pretty decent though.
Its not too hard to do with guys I’ve known a long time. At least the couple I am close to. But they both have at times had major mental health issues over the years so maybe they are more understanding than most? Just the mere topic of emotional state doesn’t really come up as often with guy friends, but there are times that I’m very glad to have them. It also helps me realize the places where we are on completely different wavelengths.
I don’t get out very often, a bit embarrassed to say but I don’t have any friends I see in person, much less any kind of romantic relationships. But I’m open to talking about my feelings and I have online communities and people I feel I can share anything with. I’ve never really felt judged by my friends and I’ve learned to be more chill and less judgemental. I’d like to go out and meet people face to face, I’m sure it’s no substitute for real social interaction but I’m still anxious about it and living in rural nowhere I have trouble finding places to hang out to meet people my own age, forget people that share many politics.
