There is one night a month which should always be on every man’s calendar—guys night. Guys night is not a thing single men do by default of not having a date. It’s the thing that every man on the planet should be doing to thrive in his manhood and maybe sanity too. And when you do have a date that may happen to fall on that last Friday of the month cancel it because guys night is more important. It is sacred. Here’s why.
Men need to talk about things. We don’t talk enough and it’s killing us. It’s no secret that we’re less likely than women to ask for help. This happens not only in small things like needing a second opinion on a relationship but also in the more serious moments like depression or mental illness. Talking is a type of therapy; not necessarily the heavy therapy, but the light one that keeps the heavy one from happening. The only time we do talk is when we feel absolutely comfortable about sharing and the best time for that to happen is when you have a drink in your hand surrounded by human beings who don’t want anything from you but to talk also. Guys night.
Men need an adventure. Putting a few guys together is the best start at making an adventure happen. When we’re with other guys we don’t care what other people think of us. Go crash a table party or two, start a conversation with a stranger, look that obnoxious, inebriated guy at the bar in the eye and stand your ground. You don’t need to by a Groupon to get an adventure, just create your own.
A great thing about adventures is that they lead to stories, something men are becoming highly deficient in. Where are all the good stories? You ask a guy how his week has been and you get stories about traffic and weather. Try telling a story from this week without help from your phone right now. Not so easy, is it. Have an adventure and build a story.
Finally, to dispel any doubts about the bromance, male bonding is just healthy. A recent study finds it’s actually a great remedy to light stress, the type of stress you come across everyday at the office or home.
The good thing about all this, also, is that male friendships are more stable. Romantic relationships are fun but aren’t stable. That’s statistically proven. Until you get married, you’ll be in and out of those like a revolving door at the zoo. And it may feel like the zoo, also.
On the other hand, our guy friendships tend to last longer though. We expect less of each other and are pretty easy to satisfy. Unless you’re on opposite sides of the gun debate, bro “break-ups” don’t happen too often. When was the last time your guy friends caused you drama?
A healthy, regular guys night is a time when we can strengthen each other to respond like men to small challenges like budding relationships (or lack thereof) and the job market or bigger challenges like addictions. Guys night, always schedule and never reschedule.
