Men And Stress

Stress, unfortunately, is an everyday experience, but contrary to what many people believe it can be both good and bad for us.

Stress can affect our health and wellbeing, with the proof of this lying in the numerous multi-million pound businesses that have been generated to help relieve, avoid and/or cope with stress.

When it comes to acknowledging stress the worst culprits are often men who tend to see stress as something that happens to other people or maybe even a sign of weakness in personality. However, men are as affected by stress as anyone else and in some cases even more so. Knowing what to look for in the first place is an important step in managing your stress levels.

Signs

Stress can be thought of in two ways: Eustress – ‘helpful stress’, and Distress – ‘unhelpful and damaging stress’. Distress can be described as a situation when the pressures around a person outstrip their ability to cope with them.

Stress is widely regarded as an individual experience, as one person's ability to cope with situations invariably differs from another. It can said that what one man finds stressful another will not, and what can be stressful one time may not be at another time in your life.

Measuring Stress in Men

Stress can be measured in different ways but generally takes the form of a self-report in which the person rates particular experiences, feelings or events on a scale of some sort.

The SRRS (Social Readjustment Ratings Scale) is one of the most well-known rating systems that was originally put together by two American psychiatrists in 1967. They listed a number of life events assumed to be stressful, such as the death of a loved one, moving job, etc and they placed a numerical value against each of these items based on the intensity of the stress. Death of a spouse for example was rated the most stressful, with a mark of 100, whereas a minor violation of the law was given a rating of just 11.

Facts on Stress and Men:

• Stress can generally be experienced in two ways: physically and psychologically, but the two are interrelated. For example, chronic stress leads to decreased immune function and increased risk of infection and decreased ability to fight infection or repair tissue.
  
  
• Stress, particularly long-term stress, can be a factor in the onset or worsening of ill health.
  
  
• Stress can be seen as a protector in that it gives us a mechanism for dealing with threats. We can either fight threats in some fashion or we can avoid them – this is what is known as the fight or flight mechanism.
  
  
• Stress can be good as well as bad. Without some stress we would not get the adrenaline needed to help us in certain situations such as solving problems, taking exams and winning competitions.
  
  
• Stress can cause debilitating symptoms.
  
  
• Stress management is essential to wellbeing and something that should be practiced each day.
  
  

Physical Signs and Symptoms of Stress for Men

Listed below are some of the physical signs and symptoms of stress. It is important to remember that stress is an individual experience and so are the symptoms. These may be signs of disease and should not be ignored just because you believe they are stress related. Any symptoms that you feel are more serious than the ones listed should be checked out by your local doctor.

The physical signs and symptoms of stress include:

- High blood pressure
- Pounding heart
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Headaches
- Muscle aches, such as back and neck pain
- Diminished or increased sex drive
- Indigestion
- Clenched jaws and grinding teeth
- Tight, dry or a feeling of a lump in your throat
- Dizziness
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Increased perspiration
- Skin problems
- Weight gain or loss
- Stomach cramps

The psychological signs & symptoms of stress include:

- Crying
- Depression
- Sadness
- Withdrawal or isolation
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Worry
- Overeating or anorexia
- Irritability, anger, decreased anger control
- Restless anxiety
- Feelings of insecurity Changes in close relationships
- Decreased productivity
- Job dissatisfaction
- Feelings of insecurity
- Increased smoking, increased use of alcohol and drugs.