When we stumbled across this thread over at Reddit.com we just had to share it. With over 930 comments at the time of writing this, it all began with the title question and a simple post which read as such:
"Always remember to respect his feelings. He feels that way for a reason and it should be honored. Don't tell him not to worry as this will cause cognitive dissonance, which will only serve to aggravate his stress. Instead, show that you care and that you trust him. Don't make him talk. It's not very well known amongst women, I think, that guys can get extremely emotional. We are raised to be seen and valued as caretakers, and feeling like you're a failure can cause you to feel worthless. There is no longer a way to be masculine, and so we cannot easily make ourselves feel better. You must, for now, show that you value him. No sex. Show affection. Sex is seen as a manly thing. He won't feel like a man, and your wanting sex and his not wanting it will make him feel worse because he won't seem very masculine. Do stuff you know he likes. Don't ask him if he'd like to go; say that you're going to do it and would like him to go with you. Politely insist, if you must. Make sure it isn't something that's too public. A walk in a quiet neighborhood, perhaps. If you ask him to go, he'll say no, but if you show that you want him and say that you want to be around him, he'll be more likely to go with you. Don't say much, if anything. Just give him a hug and lead him. Seriously, take his hand and walk somewhere. He should be beside you, not behind. Don't look at him, just walk by his side and comfort him by holding him close and leaning your head on his shoulder. He might start talking. If so, keep doing what you're doing. No eye contact. Just listen. If he asks a yes or no question, simply hold him tighter or motion your answer with your head. Don't ask questions to try and understand him better; just listen. Once he airs his thoughts and feelings, head towards bench that's somewhere near home. Sit and listen some more. Once he airs his thoughts (if he does), take him home. You can cook a meal if you want, watch a movie he enjoys, cuddle perhaps. What he really needs now is time to reflect on what you've done. The point of not talking was to not distract him from his feelings. A distraction would be aggravating as it would make him feel like his problem isn't important enough to be cared about, which would be even more demeaning to him. A time where he can be around you, but still not have to talk. You must not coax him into speaking. Most men need to process things on their own. That fact that he hid away from you shows that he is most likely one of those men. But the whole point of this is to show that you care for him, and thus, he is valuable."
What do you make of that then? Some disagreed, some offered thoughts of there own; so funny and so poignant at the same time: See the full discussion here
This got us thinking about other ways to show your man that you care, and ways that we might be able to help you do it. Time, hugs, open ears (and an open mind) aside, here are some great offers going on right now that might help bring a smile to his face.
1) Treat him to an amazingly delicious steak over at Cattle Grid. Seriously some of the tastiest meat we've ever tried, and to make things even better they always have fantastic offers on.
Check out their latest deals here.
2) One of our favourite men's stores, Penguin, have a 50% sale on right now. From pants to shirts and jackets; why not put a smile on his face by treating the boi to some new threads. Click here to view the full sale.
3) Yes, we know you think nobody can do it better than you, but sometimes, just some times they can. Especially when it comes to something like a massage. There are some amazing deals going on right now over at Wahanda, the massage specialist of choice in our opinion. The male staff here at shoppingvouchers can vouch for these as being truly special. Check out their latest offers here.
4) For the more refined man, you might want to consider a personalised bottle of whisky. Laphroaig (for those that don't know - one of the best whisky's in the world) have a beautiful bottle / glass set on offer right now for a mere £46.99. That may sound like a lot, but believe us, it'll be worth it when you see that long lost boyish smile return to his face. Click here for more details.
Don't think these work for your man? Let us know what does over at our Facebook page now. The discussion has already begun!
