Since childhood, men are often taught to suck it up, hide their pain, and “quit acting like a girl”, teaching them that their emotions, unless in the form of anger or dominance, is not masculine.
Unfortunately, growing research confirms these ingrained beliefs can increase the risk of addiction, mental illness, chronic disease, and even social problems such as homelessness or unemployment [1].
Emotional awareness is not about becoming “too emotional” or “soft”, but rather a key part of building emotional intelligence to improve your relationships, leadership skills, and strengthen your ability to empathize and connect with others.
Improving emotional awareness means understanding when your own feelings arise, what triggers them, how to communicate them with vulnerability, and how to manage them effectively rather than numbing or ignoring them.
What is Emotional Awareness?
Emotional awareness is the ability to recognize your own emotions and understand what they are telling you or what they are responding to. It includes noticing when feelings arise, identifying and describing them, and expressing them when necessary. It also means understanding how those emotions influence your thoughts and behaviors [2].
The practice of emotional awareness can help you empathize more easily with others and foster healthier relationships, leading to happier marriages, better relationships with your children, and even career advancements [2] [3].
Why Does Emotional Awareness Matter for Men?
Emotional awareness is directly linked to resilience, leadership, improved intimacy, and mental well-being. Emotional awareness helps you respond as a husband, son, father, friend, boss, or coworker rather than react. It enables you to communicate more clearly during conflict and connect on a deeper level with the people you care about [3].
However, building emotional awareness can help men break away from harmful stereotypes about masculinity that can lead to mental health problems, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, anger, and aggression [1].
The Impact of Ignoring Your Emotions
Repressing your emotions can greatly increase the risk of several long-term health consequences and substance abuse. For men, this is often linked to higher rates of anger, violence, depression, chronic health problems, and addiction.
Mental Health Consequences
Men who suppress their feelings are more likely to experience lower self-esteem and may struggle with relationships, work, and daily functioning.
Nearly 40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health, and unresolved mental health or emotional challenges often manifest as anger, violence, aggression, and risky or destructive behavior (driving recklessly, gambling) [4].
Physical Health Consequences
Cardiac psychology focuses on the link between emotions, stress, and our heart. Repressed emotions can raise blood pressure, heart rate, the risk of cardiovascular disease and contribute to heart attacks in men [5].
Even if we do not mentally think about or process our stress or emotions, the body still releases stress hormones such as cortisol, which can also lead to autoimmune disease or cause physical symptoms such as migraines, joint pain, stomach problems, acne, erectile dysfunction, and low libido [6].
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Almost 50% of men who struggle with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder report using drugs and alcohol to cope with or numb their emotions.
For this reason, men typically have higher rates of overdose and drug-related deaths, as well as alcohol-related traffic accidents, liver, and kidney disease [7].
7 Tips for Increasing Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Lisa Barret
Dr. Lisa Barrett, an expert in the biology and psychology of emotions, was interviewed by Andrew Huberman on his podcast. She explained how the brain manages the body’s resources like oxygen, water, and hormones, and how activities such as sleep, nutrition, exercise, and social connection either tax or replenish the brain-body budget.
According to Dr. Barret, there are several ways for men to support the brain-body budget, increase emotional intelligence, and cultivate self-awareness [8].
- Prioritize sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
- Sleep deprivation increases emotional reactivity and makes it harder to regulate your emotions.
- Exercises such as running, strength training, or boxing can release pent-up energy.
- Nutritious foods like eggs, salmon, steak, and leafy greens support optimal brain function and increase stress resilience.
- Use structured self-reflection by focusing on your three axes: level of alertness (do you feel calm or alert?), valence (how good or bad do you feel), and are you aware of your body (interoception) and environment (exteroception)?
- Alternate between interoceptive exercises (focusing on bodily sensations, like the feeling of your feet on the ground) and exteroceptive exercises (focusing on external objects, like a wall or table) to improve emotional regulation.
- Move past words like “good”, “fine”, or “pissed off” to describe your feelings. Having the words to identify specific emotions can help build a deep sense of self-awareness. Are you actually pissed at your kid, or are you frustrated because you care about their safety? Are you angry? Or feeling lonely or depressed and ashamed to admit it?
- Journal your feelings, especially when stressed or overwhelmed, to uncover underlying emotions and reduce anxiety. This can be easier than talking to someone right away, or if you’re not ready to do that yet.
- Figure out what your stressors are. Identify activities or situations that deplete your budget (work stress, finances, lack of sleep, relationship conflict).
- Build social connections; these are considered “savings” for your brain-body budget. Consider joining a gym for men, attending group therapy or support groups, or connecting with a hobby such as martial arts or boxing.
Watch the Full Huberman Lab podcast episode here:
Strengths-Based Addiction Treatment for Men: Helping Men Build Emotional Awareness
At Holdfast Recovery, we help men find support and strength through vulnerability, faith, and self-transformation, using our unique approach, Neurofaith™, which combines cutting-edge neuroscience with Christ-centered care to treat addiction and mental health disorders.
Seeking help is about restoring your power, rebuilding your spirit, and reclaiming your life with proven therapies designed for men who want real, lasting change. At Holdfast Recovery, we help men address unprocessed emotions and find support for their mental health through Christ-centered care and personalized programs.
We combine strength training, outdoor recreation, horseback riding, and emotional skill-building to help clients release excess energy in a healthy way and develop positive coping strategies to overcome anger, addiction, depression, and other deep-rooted emotional challenges.
Contact us and take the first step toward self-transformation today.
Sources
[1] Sumbane, G. O. (2025). Men’s Mental Health Matters: The Impact of Traditional Masculinity Norms on Men’s Willingness to Seek Mental Health Support; a Systematic Review of Literature. American journal of men’s health, 19(3), 15579883251321670.
[2] Stoewen D. L. (2024). The vital connection between emotional intelligence and well-being – Part 1: Understanding emotional intelligence and why it matters. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 65(2), 182–184.
[3] Landry, L. 2019. Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important in Leadership. Harvard University.
[4] Hinch, W. 2017. Men’s mental health: 40% of men won’t talk to anyone about their mental health. Priory.
[5] Vlachakis, D. (2018). Human Emotions on the Onset of Cardiovascular and Small Vessel Related Diseases. In vivo (Athens, Greece), 32(4), 859–870.
[6] Mayo Clinic. Chronic stress puts your health at risk.
[7] CDC. 2013. Working With Specific Populations of Men in Behavioral Health Settings. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 56.
[8] Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett. How to Understand Emotions. Huberman Lab Podcast.