Flannery Underwood for MEN’S HEALTH
"I've lost friends," The Rock says, "who checked out and, yeah, ended their lives because they didn't want to ask for help. Yeah. So you gotta communicate."
Dwayne Johnson has an important message — there's "power and the value" in asking for help.
The Rock chatted with Men's Health about his diet, building muscle at 50, and more importantly his belief in vulnerability and honest communication.
Flannery Underwood for MEN’S HEALTH
After getting through the obligatory talk about the importance of lifting iron, protein intake, and what it took to get into Black Adam shape, the megastar was asked if anything scared him.
Johnson admitted he does stay up at night thinking about making the "right moves" but said the way he makes any decision is by remaining "in touch with the simple core things that are important to me."
But the conversation then turned to the importance of communication.
"I think one of the defining, seminal moments in my life was when I really realized the power and the value of asking for help," Johnson said. "Vulnerability. You know, really kind of checking your ego at the door. As guys, we have a tendency to not ask for help. Ego gets in the way, and we start stuffing things deep down in our guts, which is not a good thing."
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View Story"I grew up an only child. I was that guy who would stuff things down and not talk about them, and I’d figure it out all by myself," he admitted. "Most of the time I did figure it out all by myself, but also it just took a toll, man, on my soul and on my mental health."
He went on to explain, "So these days, I’m a big advocate for asking for help. Also, I’ve lost friends, uh, who checked out and, yeah, ended their lives because they didn’t want to ask for help. Yeah. So you gotta communicate. You gotta ask for help."
"There’s no shame in that," Johnson assured. "If you don’t know something, ask. If you don’t know, ask."
