Welcome to the conversation. This is The Men’s Mental Health Series, and I am your host, Daryl Perry.

The point of this podcast is simple. To get conversations started with men, for men, by men. Most of us were never taught how to talk about what we feel, how to sit with emotions, or how to express them in a healthy way. So the first conversation many of us need to learn how to have is the one with ourselves.

In this episode, we talk about loneliness. Not just being alone, but feeling lonely even when you are surrounded by people. Loneliness is not the same as solitude. Being alone can be healthy and grounding. Loneliness is the feeling of not being seen, not being heard, and not being understood.

I share my own experience of growing up with cerebral palsy, feeling different, feeling isolated, and how that shaped the way I related to people and to myself. I talk about how loneliness can become a habit, how it can start to feel safer than being open, and how we sometimes choose isolation because vulnerability feels risky.

We also talk about how many men live on the surface of relationships. We stay in jokes, work, sports, and productivity, but never go deeper. And when we never go deeper, we can feel invisible even in a full room.

I talk about therapy, not as a weakness, but as a foundation. Real growth happens when you are able to be open, build trust, and do the work between sessions. Exercise, journaling, meditation, and silence are all tools, but I believe a healthy relationship with a therapist is the foundation for lasting change.

We also talk about how staying busy, productive, and successful can hide a lot of pain. You can be praised by the world and still feel empty inside. You cannot outrun your thoughts forever. At some point, you have to stop, let the feelings hit you, sit with them, and start learning how to name them.

Loneliness does not disappear by accident. It changes when you are willing to feel, when you are willing to be honest with yourself, and when you slowly choose safe people to open up to. Not everyone gets full access to you, but everyone deserves at least one place where they can be real.

If you have ever felt lonely in a crowd, unheard in your own life, or disconnected from yourself, this episode is for you.

Please share this episode with anyone you think would be interested in listening to it.

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Disclaimer

This podcast is designed to get conversations started around your mental and emotional health and is not to be taken as medical advice. Please contact your medical and or mental health professional before starting any program. No one on this podcast is a mental health professional.

If you are in the United States and you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 right now.