I don't know if it's a male thing, but a lot of our emotions end

Host: The early evening sun dipped low, casting warm rays that stretched lazily across the room. The soft hum of the world outside was a distant murmur, but inside, there was a kind of stillness, a quiet moment where thoughts seemed to hang in the air. Jack sat on the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him, a bottle of water resting loosely in his hand. Jeeny, leaning against the table, was deep in thought, her fingers lightly tapping as she reflected on the words she had just heard. The quote from Sami Zayn had landed between them like a question that needed answering.

Jeeny: “I was thinking about something Sami Zayn said: ‘I don’t know if it’s a male thing, but a lot of our emotions end up manifesting themselves in the form of anger.’ It’s a pretty powerful statement, don’t you think? The idea that emotions, especially for men, don’t always come out in the form we expect.”

Jack: “It’s interesting, but also a little too simple, isn’t it? The idea that men’s emotions default to anger. Maybe it’s not just a male thing—maybe it’s just how some of us cope. Anger is easier, faster, more immediate than other emotions. It’s like the first thing that comes to the surface.”

Jeeny: “But that’s the point, isn’t it? Anger is often the mask. Underneath, there’s usually something deeper—frustration, fear, hurt. Sami Zayn is touching on the idea that we don’t always know how to process those emotions, so anger becomes the expression we default to. And it’s not just about being male—it’s about how society teaches us to deal with feelings. Anger is acceptable, but vulnerability or sadness? Those aren’t always welcomed, especially for men.”

Host: There was a pause, the stillness in the room holding the weight of the conversation. Jack’s eyes drifted toward the window, his thoughts turning inward. Jeeny’s voice, calm but firm, broke the silence.

Jack: “I guess I’ve always felt like anger is something you can control, something you can release. But when it comes to other emotions, they feel a lot harder to deal with. Sadness, for example—it's like if you admit to being sad, then you're weak, or something’s wrong with you. Anger, though, seems easier to express. It’s more acceptable.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. Anger is almost a protective shield. It keeps us from showing vulnerability. And I think that’s the problem. When anger becomes your default, you start to bury everything else. It might feel empowering in the moment, but it doesn’t actually solve anything. It just hides the underlying emotions. And over time, that kind of repression can be incredibly damaging, both to your own mental health and to your relationships with others.”

Jack: “But isn’t there something cathartic about anger, though? I mean, isn’t it better to express it in some way than to bottle it all up? It’s the release of all that tension, that frustration. It doesn’t always feel bad, especially when you let it out.”

Jeeny: “True, there’s a release, but it’s temporary. Anger is like a burst—it’s intense but fleeting. What’s underneath it, though, that’s what we need to address. The root cause of that anger—what’s fueling it. When we only focus on the anger, we ignore the other feelings we’re carrying, the ones that are harder to deal with. And then, the anger just keeps coming back, because it’s the only way we know how to cope.”

Host: The air in the room seemed to grow heavier, as though the conversation had opened up a deeper reflection on how emotions are expressed and understood. Jack shifted slightly in his chair, his brow furrowed, as though grappling with the truth Jeeny had pointed out. He spoke again, his voice quieter now.

Jack: “So what do you do when you realize you’ve been using anger as a shield? How do you break that cycle? It’s not like you can just decide to stop being angry. It’s part of the pattern.”

Jeeny: “I think it starts with awareness. Recognizing that anger is a response, not the root of the issue. If we stop and take a moment to check in with ourselves, we can start to unpack what’s really going on. Fear, hurt, even guilt—those are the things that often lie beneath the surface. And when we start acknowledging those emotions, when we stop bypassing them, it’s like we start to find new ways to express what we’re feeling without needing anger to speak for us.”

Jack: “So, it’s not about denying the anger, it’s about understanding it, right? If we can see what’s really driving it, then we can start addressing the emotions that are underneath.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. Anger is just the surface. It’s about getting to the deeper emotions and letting them come to the surface in a way that’s healthier. It’s about processing them instead of letting them control us. And that’s where the real healing happens—when we can face the difficult emotions, rather than just reacting to them with anger.”

Host: The room seemed quieter now, the weight of the conversation lingering like a soft echo. Jack’s gaze was distant, his thoughts processing what had been said. The world outside had turned darker, the last light of the day fading into the quiet of the night. The conversation had opened a new perspective—not just about anger, but about how we handle all the emotions that we don’t always understand or know how to express.

Jack: “I think I see it. It’s not that anger isn’t a valid emotion—it’s about recognizing it for what it is: a mask. And when we start to see beyond it, we can deal with the emotions underneath in a healthier way.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. It’s about looking beyond the surface and realizing there’s more to our emotions than we give credit for. Awareness, vulnerability, and the willingness to feel it all—that’s where true growth happens.”

Host: As the room fell into silence, the conversation began to settle, leaving behind a quiet understanding. The path to understanding emotions was not through their expression alone, but through their recognition and acknowledgment. Anger, while a powerful and natural feeling, was only the beginning of the emotional journey. The deeper work was in confronting and processing the feelings that lay beneath, in order to break the cycle and find healthier ways to be present with ourselves.