The Armour Men Wear
Some men learn very young how to put on armour.
Don't complain.
Get the job done.
Provide.
Protect.
Keep your problems to yourself.
Be the bloke everyone can depend on.
In mining, construction, civil and the trades, that armour can become incredibly effective.
It gets you through long shifts.
Pressure.
Heat.
Fatigue.
Deadlines.
Time away from home.
And the days when you're carrying far more than anyone around you realises.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that armour.
Sometimes it is exactly what gets a man through.
But armour was never designed to be worn 24 hours a day.
Eventually you have to come home.
And sometimes the man who knows how to be strong at work discovers he doesn't know how to put the armour down.
You're home, but you're still switched on.
Your body is exhausted, but your mind won't stop.
Your patience becomes shorter.
You withdraw.
Touch becomes less frequent.
Sex becomes another thing requiring energy you don't have.
Your partner asks what's wrong.
“Nothing.”
And technically, perhaps nothing is wrong.
You're still working.
Still providing.
Still functioning.
But are you flourishing?
Because strength isn't only about how much pressure you can withstand.
Sometimes strength is recognising when the pressure has begun changing the man underneath it.
My work with men isn't about stripping away masculinity.
Quite the opposite.
I want men to explore it.
Strength. Confidence. Presence. Identity. Intimacy. Sensuality. Libido. Purpose.
The parts of being a man that chronic stress can quietly bury beneath responsibility.
Through personalised, evidence-informed aromatherapy and holistic care, we can create space for your nervous system to slow down and explore what you need to feel grounded, connected and in command of your wellbeing again.
You don't need to surrender your armour.
You don't need to become somebody else.
You simply need somewhere safe enough to put it down for a while.
Because underneath the worker...
the provider...
the husband...
the father...
the bloke everyone relies upon...
there is still a man who deserves to be looked after too.
You don't have to be in crisis to deserve support.
If you're working in mining, civil, construction or the trades and recognise yourself somewhere in these words, my door is open.
Come as you are.
We'll start there.
Aromatherapy by Robbie James
Evidence-informed Aromatherapy | Personalised Holistic Care | Men's Wellbeing
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