Sad Boys Club
*Before reading, if someone is experiencing mental health distress or suicidal/depressive thoughts, they should seek help immediately! This article was written to discusses owning our emotions and is not meant to be taken as a mental health diagnosis/mental health professional advice*
I like being sad! Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Omg, what is this person saying? Is he ok?”. Yes, I am ok (it’s also ok to not be ok) but I believe being ok with all the emotions I experience, is the way to live my best life. We are taught that being sad or crying shows weakness. That is the first part of the problem we have in society about accepting all emotions, so I decided to reclaim the word “sad” and add it to my narrative in life.
A lot of millennials are raised by parents who are emotionally immature or have a very “old school” mind set. Their generation married earlier, had kids when they were young, but also they were raised in an era where they didn’t talk about their own trauma or mental health. We are at a beautiful, progressive time where people are taking mental health seriously (FINALLY!) and we are seeing a lot of millennials and Gen Z humans speak about their trauma and things that had an effect on their development. In another blog post, I will get more into living with an emotional immature parent. But what I want to focus on in this blog post, is about the fact that some parents are afraid of their own emotions and are not able to go deeper within themselves. Which has lead to some parents teaching their kids certain emotion values like; being vulnerable is weakness, crying shows weakness, internalize your emotions, toughen up, “here take this (some kind of pill), dont be sad”. We live in a society where the world capitalizes on being “perfectly happy”, whether it’s a pill, caffeine, Disney World or an over priced trip (Disney), we are always being shown; via ads, social media etc, that this world has to be perfect and the only emotions that are acceptable is happiness. But, hate to break it to you… but um… people are sad daily! Let me break this down below:
Yin and Yang for example; Yin- dark and feminine, Yang- light and masculine. The interactions influence the destinies of things.
Let’s look at being tired, how do you know the feeling of being exhausted? You know that feeling because you know how it feels to be well rested, right?
So being happy, how do you know what happiness feels like? Yea, you guessed it right! It’s by being sad or having another emotion that isn’t displayed as pure happiness! Emotions are on a spectrum and we are multi-dimensional animals, we are mean’t to go through a wave of emotions weekly, even daily! A lot of parents have raised their children to avoid certain emotions or to combat the “weird, sad, frustrated” emotions. I say it is time we start a sad revolution and own all of our emotions. Nice humans finish first! It is sexy to be vulnerable, it is ok to not be ok! It is fine to be content with something and also be indifferent about a topic! You are in control of your own narrative, own the emotions in your life and own your feelings!!!! Feelings help us see things clearly and can also help shape a human to be more empathetic! It’s time to talk in a deeper realm and not this on a surface level anymore.
Come join me and let’s be in our feels ❤.
Love, Antonio
More of my work: antonioliranzo.com/links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antonioiliranzo/
Free anxiety attack helplines and resources that are available include:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: 1–800–950-NAMI (6264) The staff at NAMI are well-trained to answer questions on a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety. Available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, this organization provides free information and referrals to treatment programs, support groups, and educational programs. NAMI also offers help for family members, information about jobs programs, and connections to legal representation in your area.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1–800–273-TALK (8255) If severe anxiety is causing you to experience suicidal thoughts, don’t hesitate to call this free, 24-hour crisis intervention hotline. Counselors can help you ease your anxiety and get to the clear headspace you need to seek help. There are separate hotline numbers for Spanish speakers: 1–888–628–9454; the hard of hearing: 1–800–799–4889; and veterans: 1–800–273–8255. You can also chat with a crisis volunteer live on their website.
