In this episode I’ll be chatting with the hardworking, inspiring, guitar slaying, and ever loving family man: Mr Brandon Cook of the bands The Loyal Order and Black and Blue!

Today we are going to be talking about Emotional Repression and the expectations and realities of it in regards to men and toxic masculinity. Repressed emotions are feelings a person unconsciously avoids. A common expectation in our society is that men, in particular, should avoid sharing their feelings because it is seen as a sign of weakness. Thankfully, speaking from my personal opinion, it would seem that this idea has come under some intense scrutiny in more recent years.

Emotional repression can factor into mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

There are countless studies that show that when a person represses their emotions that their body and behavior react to that. Often, people develop depression, anxiety, or a slew of other conditions. Their bodies begin to ache, they are sore, they become sick easily and often. The very idea that in our culture we make a distinction between men and women that women are allowed to and encouraged to express their emotions while men are taught just the opposite flat out blows my mind.