Aww, this is sad. A lot of women want true and deep connection, which requires emotional vulnerability on both sides. When either party builds a wall, pretending to themselves that they must be stoic and imagining that having human struggles makes them "lesser" as a partner, they end up building a wall within their relationship and thwarting the true potential of the connection. Not to mention that health problems tend to come along with emotionally avoidant behaviors. I'm sure any partner worth having would rather that their man establish a healthy relationship with emotional intimacy and vulnerability, instead of that he would literally suffer in silence — and then see the physical and mental health consequences later.

To this end — the fact that these habits are unhealthy — many women would break up with a man who refuses to communicate healthily about his stress or his pain. Everyone deserves love, and everyone deserves to feel safe in connecting emotionally on a deep level, without imagining that they "must" hide their struggles. I wish much healing to the men (and anyone else) who behave this way. 💜