Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Life

Men handle stress differently to women, but hey, help is at hand.

Men have different stresses to women, says a leading female psychologist. She offers some expert advice.

Hugs and indoor pints on UK 'Freedom Monday' despite variant fears
Across England, Wales and most of Scotland, indoor hospitality in pubs will return despite concerns over the spread of a more transmissible variant - Copyright THAILAND'S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS/AFP Handout
Across England, Wales and most of Scotland, indoor hospitality in pubs will return despite concerns over the spread of a more transmissible variant - Copyright THAILAND'S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS/AFP Handout

According to Clinical Psychologist Avantika Dixit, men and women handle stress differently. This could be due to genetics, biology or lifestyle. As things stand, many men, and particularly young men, find it more difficult adjusting to life’s pressure than females do, and they can sink more frequently into anger and depression when feeling burned out.

This is especially notable with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, adding to the heavy workloads, student debts, and societal pressures Millennial and Generation XYZ men (and women) already face.

In relation to the current climate, how are men in particular coping with the extra pandemic stress?  Dixit has suggestions in relation to this question. She has worked with young men and women around the world battling mental health crises.

Dixit is a former tech entrepreneur and brain tumor survivor, she has dedicated her life to helping young people deal with the difficulties and disruptions that are so unique to the modern era.

She tells Digital Journal: “Outside of career and financial struggles, until 2020, the biggest stressors for Millenials were major life events like divorce, death, illness, or caring for a family member— things that don’t happen too often.”

Dixit adds: “The pandemic really turned up the switch on that, and some of the most vulnerable people to stress are young men who tend to ignore their own mental health needs. They’re really struggling to navigate it all. But by knowing and understanding the causes of stress, and taking the time to focus on what’s happening within themselves, they can begin the journey towards peace of mind.”

Dixit explains that while men experience the same physical symptoms of stress that women do, recent evidence suggests that women are better at managing stress in general and are far less likely to experience depression from work-related stress. Men are also more likely to withdraw when stressed, which can introduce relationship issues. Stress is also a leading cause of psychological impotence.

Dixit has compiled a list of stress management insights and tips to help men to live more fulfilling lives. These are:

Stress is a Global Phenomenon

The World Health Organization (WHO) has conclusively declared that 80% of global disease burden is attributed to stress.

Stress is a Chemical Reaction

Stress evolved as a biochemical response to keep us from danger. Short bursts of stress can even be positive—enhancing neuromuscular performance and motivation. Chronic elevations of stress hormones like cortisol and noradrenaline are what create the sense of fight-or-flight, and make us feel overwhelmed, anxious, or apathetic.

Stress Triggers the Sympathetic Nervous System

Your body has an autonomic nervous system which goes into either sympathetic mode—the state in which you are reacting to a perceived threat, or in fight-or-flight response— or parasympathetic mode, wherein the nervous system prevents the body from overworking, restoring it to a calm and composed state. Stress triggers the sympathetic nervous system into overdrive, preventing rest and deep healing.

Watch What You Watch to Avoid Stress Triggers

Watching the news or engaging with certain social media content can lead to negativity bias—a state in which your brain perceives the world to be worse and more threatening than it actually is. Humans have a bad habit of mentally giving more weight to things that go wrong than to things that go right—just one negative event can cause a domino effect of negativity in our minds that can be damaging to our work, relationships, happiness and well-being.

Develop Your Brain, Feel Less Stress

The prefrontal and neocortex are the most recently evolved regions of the human brain and are also referred to as the “higher brain” which is responsible for feelings of well-being and executive function. Executive functions are what allow us to control short-sighted, reflexive behaviors and that allow us to take part in things such as planning, decision-making, problem-solving, self-control, and long-term goal planning.

Avatika’s evidence-based tips for preventing and coping with stress, for Digital Journal readers is:

Conscience breathing

Breathwork practices are easily found on the internet at no cost. Three of my favorites are the alternate nostril breathing, the inhale, hold, and exhale in a 1:2:4 pattern; and the simple, prolonged inhalation-exhalation practice. All three stimulate the vagus nerve, which can switch your brain from sympathetic to parasympathetic function and can lower stress in as little as 30 seconds.

Acu-meridian stimulation

Also called tapping. This is a highly proven practice where taps on key points on the hand, head, face, collar bone and chest , chest activate the release of any emotional or energetic blockages stored there. It takes less than 5 minutes to tap on oneself each day. There are several free tapping resources online and you can also be part of the free tapping circles or groups in your community or online. Woke Hero also offers one.

Meditation and visualization

People who meditate a minimum of 20 minutes, several times a week, have shown to have brains with a more well-developed prefrontal cortex and neocortex. Studies have proved that meditation and visualization can stimulate positive brain development in less than three weeks, and continued practice gives better results with time.

Simplification and Detox

Spending more time in nature, doing a digital fast for several hours each day, adopting mindfulness, and simplifying life as much as possible, can really help in reducing stress.

Gratitude, Joy and Love

Oxytocin and serotonin are released when you think of or participate in acts of love, gratitude or joy. These two “love hormones” are natural stress-removers.

Be organized and create rituals and predictability

By staying organized and creating rituals and predictable routines, you can better manage the areas of your life that you have control over. Set achievable goals and celebrate when you hit those milestones. Keep reminding yourself of the progress you are making.

Avatar photo
Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Business

The cathedral is on track to reopen on December 8 - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARINParis’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019, is on...

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

Hyundai on Wednesday revealed plans to invest more than $50 billion in South Korea by 2026.