Men burn out, too

They’re just often burning in silence.

Male burnout is something we don’t often discuss. The stigma that burnout is because we are doing something wrong means that many, not just men, don’t ask for help until we have gone too far.

Too many men are still carrying the weight of an outdated story: that being strong means not feeling, not struggling, and certainly not talking about it.

But silence isn’t strength.

It’s a slow unraveling that happens when we believe resilience is about pushing through instead of pausing to recalibrate.

Real resilience today isn’t about how much we can endure; it’s about how well we can adapt.

It’s about having the emotional agency to respond rather than react.

It’s about knowing when to pause, not because we’re weak, but because we’re wise enough to recognize that navigating constant change requires new skills, not just stamina.

Let’s retire the myth that men don't need support.

Let’s replace isolation with inquiry, pressure with presence, and burnout with a new model of well-being that goes beyond survival.

I invite you to check in with the men in your life, and maybe more importantly, if you are one, to check in with yourself. I invite you to encourage conversations, ask how someone is handling stress, learn more about them, and share what you do.

Research reveals a significant gap in men's mental health support.

The Silent Struggle

The fact that 40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health represents a widespread pattern of silence that has serious consequences. Men are often socialized to internalize their struggles rather than seek help, which can lead to:

• Higher rates of undiagnosed depression and anxiety

• More severe symptoms when they finally do seek help

• Increased risk of substance abuse as a coping mechanism

• Higher suicide rates - men die by suicide at 3-4 times the rate of women in most developed countries

Barriers to Support

• Embarrassment (29%): Many men perceive mental health challenges as weakness or failure, making them reluctant to even acknowledge their struggles, let alone talk about them.

• Negative stigma (20%): Societal attitudes that judge men harshly for showing vulnerability or seeking emotional support, reinforcing the outdated paradigm that men should be strong and emotionless at work.

Additional barriers often include:

• Traditional masculine norms emphasizing self-reliance and emotional control

• Lack of male-specific mental health resources and support systems

• Fear of professional consequences if mental health challenges become known

• Limited emotional vocabulary to express what they're experiencing

Changing the Narrative

This connects directly to your point that "silence isn't strength" and that "real resilience today isn't about how much we can endure, it's about how well we can adapt." Creating pathways for men to address mental health without shame is essential for true resilience.

Some effective approaches include:

• Framing mental health support as a performance optimization strategy rather than fixing a problem

• Creating male-specific spaces where vulnerability is normalized and modeled

• Emphasizing that seeking support demonstrates courage and self-awareness

• Connecting mental wellbeing to the ability to show up fully in their roles as partners, parents, friends, and colleagues

Being human is not a problem to solve; we are an advantage to unlock and harness.

The Hidden Cost of Burnout

When men stay silent about their struggles, both they and their organizations pay a steep price. Research shows that burnout costs businesses billions annually in lost productivity, turnover, and healthcare expenses.

Beyond the financial impact, there's the human cost:

• Deteriorating physical health (heart disease, immune dysfunction, sleep disorders)

• Strained relationships at home and work

• Reduced creativity and problem-solving abilities

• Increased cynicism and detachment from work that once held meaning

Real resilience today isn’t about how much we can endure; it’s about how well we can adapt.

A Different Approach to Resilience

What if we redefined strength for men as the ability to:

• Recognize when we need to pause rather than push

• Build support systems before reaching crisis points

• Practice emotional agency and agility instead of emotional suppression

• Lead by modeling sustainable performance rather than endless endurance

• Recognize that resilience is about being inspired to find a way forward—not because we must, but because we care.

• Cultivate a culture of regenerative resilience, where challenges become opportunities and where sustainable energy management prevents burnout

Practical Steps Forward

For organizations looking to address male burnout, consider these approaches:

• Create structured opportunities for men to connect without the pressure of "therapy talk."

• Normalize leadership stories that include robust vulnerability (sharing challenges and limitations authentically while maintaining authority) and course-correction

• Recognize and reward sustainable performance over heroic burnout patterns

• Offer mental fitness resources framed around optimization rather than fixing

As we move beyond Men's Health Month, let's commit to creating workplaces where resilience means knowing when to pause, when to connect, and when to adapt—for everyone.

What is one conversation you could have this week that might shift the narrative around male burnout in your organization?

The future of work isn’t just about productivity, and it’s no longer just about granting permission to be human. It’s about reclaiming the power of our human advantage, because in a world of constant acceleration, the real key to success isn’t speed—it’s wisdom.

It's time we pause and rethink our relationship with work, not as a place where we abandon our needs for emotional and mental space, but as an environment where our well-being becomes a source of clarity, agility, and true resilience.

And that includes everyone.