On average, nearly 1 in 10 men report feeling severely or extremely stressed. Just under half of men indicate feeling “usually stressed or under pressure.”
Despite these concerning statistics, men don’t always receive the support they need. First, they are less likely to access psychological care than women. Moreover, many men cope with stress by engaging in impulsive behavior like misusing alcohol or drugs. They’re also more likely to die by suicide.
While feeling overworked can be obvious, it’s also important to know the more subtle or insidious signs of stress in men. Let’s get to it.
Fatigue
Poor sleep and stress can go hand-in-hand, even if you don’t realize it. For example, you might believe you’re getting an adequate night of rest, but your sleepiness the next day may tell an entirely different story.
Fatigue-related stress can sometimes feel like an emotional hangover. Because you’re holding onto such tension throughout the day, the body must work even harder to function. As a result, it can feel tired and rundown.
When you feel tired, you might neglect taking care of yourself. For instance, you might turn to caffeine to stay awake or sugar to boost your energy. While these quick fixes can provide temporary relief, they often cause a crash-and-burn effect.
A brief nap may help, but if you doze off every time you feel tired, sleep might become an unproductive coping response. Furthermore, oversleeping can exacerbate sleep-related problems, triggering more stress problems.
Forgetfulness
Memory problems can occur at any time, and some cognitive impairment can happen during the aging process.
However, stress doesn’t do the memory any favors. Research that high levels of cortisol– the main hormone associated with stress- are connected with short-term memory issues.
Forgetfulness can be challenging to detect. For example, you might ask the same question repeatedly without realizing it—other times, such as when you misplace items in a strange place, the problem becomes more apparent.
Persistent Indecisiveness
You struggle to make executive decisions at work. You don’t know how to take better initiative at home. People keep asking you for your opinion, but you don’t know what it is.
Indecisiveness isn’t always a sign of uncertainty or insecurity. Often, decision paralysis, which may happen when presented with too many viable options, can result in us feeling chronically overwhelmed.
Think about it- making a decision often signifies needing to follow a specific action. After all, if you need to quit your job, you now feel pressured to go forth with that choice! If you don’t, you risk feeling guilty, anxious, or ashamed- all of which can, of course, trigger even more stress.
Therefore, if you feel stressed all the time, your mind wants to avoid taking more action. Subsequently, you might find yourself procrastinating to avoid adding more responsibilities to your daily plate.
Getting Sick More Frequently
Is it flu season, or are you just feeling excess pressure?
When the body is under chronic stress, the immune system must work overtime to keep everything functioning effectively. But all immune systems have a threshold. Eventually, cortisol becomes less effective, and this process can accelerate disease and inflammation.
As a result, you may experience more cold and flu-like symptoms. You might also feel more susceptible to aches, chronic pain, or other issues that aren’t associated with a specific medical diagnosis.
Unexplained Irritability
You feel angry, but you aren’t sure why. You can’t pinpoint if someone upset you, but you know you feel annoyed. What gives?
Stress can make it difficult to understand or regulate your emotions. You may feel more vulnerable to certain events without truly recognizing how they impact you.
For example, let’s say your wife tells you she’s going to fold all the laundry. You come home, and all the clothes are still in the dryer. She explains that she had an unexpected work issue, but she will take care of the chore tomorrow morning.
Logically, you understand her rationale and even feel empathic for her situation at work. But emotionally, you feel angry, resentful, and frustrated that your clothes are getting wrinkled. This disconnect can become more amplified when you’re feeling stressed.
On the one hand, you may feel like you’re overreacting. But, at the same time, stress makes it easy to overreact!
Are You Dealing with These Signs of Stress?
If you are so used to feeling stressed, you might not actually recognize the severity of your condition! Living in this survival mode may feel like your ordinary homeostasis.
That said, excess stress can take a tremendous toll on your physical and mental health. It can also exacerbate other issues like depression, anxiety, and relationship problems.
Therapy can help you understand your stress triggers and develop effective coping skills to manage them. While eliminating stress isn’t the goal, learning how to predict and adapt to it can help you feel more empowered and healthier.
Contact me today to learn more!