Kate Hackett
Here’s a bit of a sad one for us this morning.
Reddit user u/Lonely_Ad_1790 asked the Reddit community “What was the worst reaction to letting down your emotional shield?”
And, of course, we got some doozies. Here are some of the best. Worst? Most interesting.
Warning for you — so much of these come from toxic masculinity, which teaches our men and boys not to have feelings.
1. Not Proud
The one person I looked up to and wanted to be proud of me told me how worthless I was to him in a way that left no room for doubt.
2. Personal Gain
I found out the person I wanted to be proud of me was just using me for their own personal gain. It was one of two people I fully let my guard down and man it stung.
3. Laughter Stings
In college a couple friends (both f) noticed I (m) was having a bad week and insisted I tell them what was going on.
After 15 minutes of me ranting about my grades, professors, my job, my family, I was starting to feel better getting it all off my chest. But then one of them, making no attempt to hide it, leans to the other and says “damn I wish we never asked” and they both start laughing with each other about how much they didn’t want to be there listening to me.
Now whenever people ask how I’m doing I just say I’m fine or I’m tired to save the time and energy.
4. Abusive Behavior
I opened up about my home situation in primary school to my teachers. it was about how my dad has a fuse the size of a microbe and can be verbally..abusive. my teacher told my parents what I told her. needless to say my dad was pissed and I didnt dare to talk about this stuff to “trust persons” till last year (16 years later)
5. Captain Daddy?
My biological father is a piece of shit, and a lot of my depression and self esteem issues stem from my relationship with him. I tried opening up to a college girlfriend about it, and she called me “Captain Daddy Issues” and laughed at me. I laughed it off at the time, but it seriously broke my heart and led to me shutting down emotionally until I met the women I wound up marrying.
6. Whoops, wrong!
I went to therapy and my therapist advised me to let down my guard to my girlfriend. She lost all attraction to me, shared my issues with her whole friend group for “her support”, and then broke up with me. Life will teach you lessons the hard way whenever possible.
7. Mothers Disappoint
I opened up to my mother twice about how I feel about my life and she is still using it against me 5 years later. I’ll never forgive her for that
8. Is that an insult?
Once, I told my friends about my high insecurities regarding my physical appearance and my “attractivness” (or lack of thereof in my case), and they fucking laughed at me and made joke about it not being a “big deal” and implying that I was acting/thinking like a girl. I never shared anything more with those friends lol.
9. I mean, AGAIN…
The number of times I’ve been told “Ah you’re like a girl” and ignored is pathetic.
10. There’s a reason she’s an ex.
My ex never reacted well to me opening up to her. I think it scared her or something. Getting a real, raw glimpse inside someone who is struggling with mental health issues can really freak people out, especially when they have this idea of who their partner should be or, how they want their life to be.
