Home ALONE for the Holidays

MASKulinity Podcast

The holiday season is upon us shortly in the US. Some men will be surrounded by close ones, and some will finally get the R&R they’ve been craving, but many may feel alone.

• Americans have less and less friends. On this episode, Samantha and Remoy talk through some Survey Center on America Life findings on the state of American friendships. There are many men who have absolutely no friends, and that number is steadily increasing. The hosts get some help to understand how this impacts them during the holiday season.
• Our resident counselor for men, Justin Lioi, is back to talk about having mental ease during the holidays. He stresses that being alone at this time can be a fulfilling choice but it’s OK to reach out for attention and support if it’s loneliness rather than intentional alone time.
• Justin helps the hosts understand why reaching out can be difficult for men, how slipping back into old relationship dynamics can make it worse, and how to detect mental distress in the body.

COMPANION PIECES:

• Ya can’t pour from an empty cup! How Men Can Take Better Care of Themselves
• Ignoring it won’t make it go away! How doing the work leads to men’s freedom
• Special Episode! Getting Free, with Darnell Moore

Referenced on this episode:

• Terrence Real, therapist author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression
• Pia Mellody, author of Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives
• Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam shows how we people in modern societies have become more and more disconnected from each other