Honoring Fathers This Year for Those Who Never Experience Emotional Breakdowns
On Father's Day, social media is flooded with heartwarming pictures of dads receiving gifts, family gatherings, and sweet messages about love and appreciation. But let's not forget about the silent warriors - the fathers, leaders, and providers who shoulder day-to-day burdens without a complaint or recognition.
Kapil Gupta, CEO of Solh Wellness, shines a light on this often overlooked aspect. "We talk a lot about burnout, mental health, and work-life balance. But we forget about the silent heroes, the ones who don't talk about it, don't write about it, don't hash-tag it," he says.
These individuals are the emotional and financial pillars that hold families and workplaces together. They're the first ones you turn to in a crisis but rarely the last ones you check on when things settle.
Gupta urges us to widen our celebration beyond picture-perfect posting. It's high time we acknowledged the unsung heroes who carry others, emotionally, financially, or behind the scenes of every team and household.
Nowadays, we cheer on openness about emotions, therapy, and mental health days. However, we often overlook a sector of people who quietly believe these options aren't for them. Being "the strong one" may sound flattering, but as Gupta points out, it's also a heavy and isolating burden.
So, this Father's Day, let's celebrate the dads not just for their steady presence, but for their determination, resilience, and quiet acts of love. And most importantly, let's see beyond the surface. Let's respect the emotional labor often taken for granted.
Ask the father who's raising a family. Ask the startup founder who's diving into their savings to keep the business afloat. Ask the team leader soaking up stress to keep the team together. Ask the frontline worker trying to remain steady amidst the chaos since 2020. These individuals may not cry out for help because they've been conditioned to believe they can't.
Heavy and silent nods, forced smiles, pauses before saying "I'm fine" - these are the small, unspoken signs of suppressed struggle that we rarely notice. Emotional burden isn't always loud or dramatic. So, let's acknowledge the silent heroes while they're still standing tall.
Let's move beyond romanticizing selflessness and start seeing its cost. Celebrating someone's strength while ignoring their sufferings isn't admiration, it's neglect. It's time we look beyond the surface, respect emotional labor, and promote mental well-being for these quiet superheroes.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, it's crucial to recognize the silent struggles of those who selflessly manage both family-dynamics and work responsibilities, often neglecting their mental health.
- The conversation about mental health in science and lifestyle should extend to those who remain silent, such as the fathers and leaders who, ignoring their emotional burdens, continue to provide and support their families and workplaces.
- Relationships often thrive on open communication, but we must also acknowledge the silent heroes who carry emotional loads in silence, with their emotional labor often unnoticed and taken for granted.
