Anxiety in Men
Anxiety is a physiological and emotional experience that can range from a typical and normal response to more debilitating and persistent experiences that may indicate a mental health diagnosis.
Anxiety is a physiological and emotional experience that can range from a typical and normal response to more debilitating and persistent experiences that may indicate a mental health diagnosis.
Typical response to everyday stressors such as changes in relationships, giving a public talk, or adjustment to loss or even gain, give us anxious feelings in the body and mind and typically go away with time or employing simple coping strategies. More debilitating responses to stress like chronic worry, interruption of day to day functioning, or behaviors that cannot be thwarted or stopped in response to stressors may require a higher level of intervention including psychotherapy, significant changes in lifestyle and/or prescribed medication by a qualified mental health practitioner.
Some of the signs of anxiety include the following:
Restlessness
Difficulty concentrating
Muscle tension
Sleep difficulties
Sudden periods of intense fear
Pounding heart
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Chronic Worry
Feeling of impending doom
Panic Attacks
Negative assessment of future outcomes
Feeling “keyed up”
Anxiety for men in particular, may take the form of believing there is something weak or significantly deficient about you or your mind. This is not true and unfortunately, that idea can prevent you from seeking help, furthering the anxiety symptoms. For some men, the idea of talking about fears, feelings, and emotions is tantamount to increasing the anxiety or becoming weak an ineffectual. Instead, what we know about effectively dealing with anxiety informs us of the opposite—that learning how to communicate and express your fears and emotions, decrease the symptoms of anxiety itself.
Examples of possible stress, worry & anxiety:
You received a frightening, health diagnosis
You are having a financial setback
You have a deadline that you just cannot meet
An important relationship in your life is in trouble or has ended
A global pandemic is disrupting your day to day life.
You feel frozen in fear about one or more things in your life.
Your work is on your mind 24/7.
The first steps toward a way out of anxiety is to acknowledge, accept, and communicate what is going on. Asking for help from a loved one or a professional mental health practitioner will help you have a place to communicate and leave behind, many of you fears and concerns. You might also benefit from understanding what you can expect and what is normal with regard to your responses. Even writing down your fears and worries each day has been show to help decrease anxiety.
Men Who Are Anxious (but can apply to anyone as well):
Admit your fears
Seek help from a psychotherapist
Write down your anxious thoughts and worries
Take action over thought. In other words, when you are on the fence, take action to address your feelings (ie; go to gym, take a walk, listen to music, pray, tell a loved one how you are feeling, distract yourself, etc).
Focus on 3-5 things that you are grateful for each day (do first thing when you wake, and last thing before you sleep).
If you are someone with faith, or would like to be, focus on praying to God for peace of mind and heart.
Resources:
Stress, Worry & Anxiety, FT Beacon
What is Anxiety, by re:MiND
From Stressed To Centered: A Practical Guide To A Healthier And Happier You, by Dan Guerra
Managing Stress
Stress is a normal part of life, but it can become a problem if it's too intense or prolonged. Stress can lead to physical and mental health problems, so it's important to know the signs and how to manage them.
Stress is a normal part of life, but it can become a problem if it's too intense or prolonged. Stress can lead to physical and mental health problems, so it's important to know the signs and how to manage them.
Recognizing the Signs of Stress
Stress can have a major impact on our physical and mental health, so it's essential to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
Physiological Signs of Stress Include:
chronic exhaustion
feeling overwhelmed
difficulty sleeping
difficulty concentrating
feelings irritability or anger
Mental Signs of Stress Include:
anxious or worried
thoughts that you're not good enough
feeling like you're not in control
experiencing everything as a struggle
Behavioral Signs of Stress Include:
Increased use of drugs and alcohol to cope
Verbal or physical aggression
Socially isolating
Poor decision making
If you're experiencing any of these signs, it may suggest that you take a step back and examine yourself and your situation.
Developing a Stress Management Plan
Stress is a normal human reaction to a variety of situations. It's an unavoidable reaction to hunger, poverty, weather, grief, social isolation, physical illness, relationship difficulties and many other factors. In addition, there are many adverse effects of poor mental health.
Exercise helps your body fight against stress and eating healthy nutrient-filled foods helps you maintain your mental health. Also, avoiding unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol or drugs will help you feel more in control of your life.
Managed stress can keep you safe from harm. Therefore, it's necessary to learn how to manage your emotions well. It includes addressing your anger, understanding your sadness and promoting your happiness. Some people can become violent or commit suicide when they are under severe emotional distress. We must learn how to control our instinctive reactions so that we don't harm ourselves or others.
Stress Management Techniques
Stress management techniques include:
Meditation
Yoga Nidra: The Science of Relaxation and Rest
Learn breath control exercises like ratio breathing or alternate nostril breathing.
Talk about the things that bother you.
Get some quality sleep.
Spend some time on your hobbies.
Avoid multitasking
Conclusion
Part of learning to manage stress is to realize that you can exercise choice. Take some time to think and decide what you want and let that be a part of your life. And this process keeps changing, so if there is something that no longer serves you, don't hesitate to disconnect it from your life. See if you can no longer allow persistent burdens to occupy space in your life, by implementing a stress management plan.
Depression
All of us feel down in the dumps from time to time. In a sense, it is perfectly normal and expected that some experiences in life may make us feel down or blue. Examples of this may be the loss of a loved one, losing a job, breaking up a relationship or experiencing sadness about someone else’s misfortune. Contrast this with pervasive and continuous low mood and energy for several weeks or months at a time, and we may be talking about clinical depression.
All of us feel down in the dumps from time to time. In a sense, it is perfectly normal and expected that some experiences in life may make us feel down or blue. Examples of this may be the loss of a loved one, losing a job, breaking up a relationship or experiencing sadness about someone else’s misfortune. Contrast this with pervasive and continuous low mood and energy for several weeks or months at a time, and we may be talking about clinical depression.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), Major Depressive Disorder affects 17.3 million people or 7.1% of the U.S. population. Major depression may be present if many of the following symptoms are present for over a 2 week period:
Feelings of Helplessness
Feelings of Hopelessness
Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities
Feeling down in the dumps or low mood
Lack of energy
Loss of sleep
Feelings of isolation
Significant increase or decrease in appetite
Feeling overwhelmed with life
A belief that things will not get better or improve
Low self-worth
Frequent Crying Spells
Wishing Life were over or Suicidal thoughts
Major Depression is treatable. The most efficacious treatment of moderate to severe depression may be a combination of psychotherapy and psycho-pharmacological interventions. Also, developing a healthy social support system made up of friends, family, and/or social communities such as faith institutions and community centers may also contribute to getting well and healing from depression.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when beginning to treat depression is believing that there can be help. The first step that may require a little push from the inside, is to reach out for help. Many suffer silently for months or years without speaking to someone professionally. This can be due to feeling shame, believing that they should just be able to “snap out of it”, or cultural/religious messages that have a negative or distorted view on persons who are clinically depressed. You should be encouraged to rise above any negative stigmatization of depression so that you can experience relief and healing as soon as possible.
resources:
Dan Guerra, Psy.D.