How Men Manage Stress

Most don’t realize how damaging it can be

A little stress can be a good thing for men. It initiates a “fight or flight” response in the body that was essential to survival in humanity’s earliest days and still provides short bursts of exceptional productivity and creativity. But in today’s “24/7” world, stress can be unrelenting and unhealthy, says internist Joseph Candio, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

“Chronic stress eventually hinders productivity and creativity,” he says. “But most men don’t recognize it. They recognize and respond to symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, chest pain and indigestion.” It’s important to report these symptoms to your doctor, he says. He also urges men under stress to make a priority list for work that includes time—even a few minutes—during the day to mentally escape and turn off the mind’s activities.

Managing stress is important for a healthy heart, says Candio’s colleague, cardiologist Robert Biggs, D.O. Physically, chronic stress raises blood pressure and cholesterol, causes blood to clot and can create spasms in the coronary arteries. “And emotionally, studies have shown that stress-related anger and anxiety increase the risk for a heart attack,” he says.

Those negative emotions can be damaging in other ways as well, says psychiatrist Michael Kaufmann, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Fear, anger and anxiety triggered by stress can create family strife and lead to unhealthy behaviors like overeating, drinking and drug abuse.

For the typical male, “stress relief” conjures up images of a golf game. But to properly manage stress, men need more than exercise, says Biggs. “Exercise is essential to good health and serves as a temporary release,” he says. “But a formal stress management program works to reduce heart disease risk and prevent anger, anxiety and depression over the long term.”

Stress management programs might use these methods:

Progressive relaxation
“Since many men don’t realize they’re stressed, they need to understand what it feels like and then how to relax,” Follweiler says.

Breathing
“Most people breathe very shallowly,” she says. “We teach deep breathing with the diaphragm, a technique men can use throughout the day.”

Yoga
The gentle stretching of yoga releases the tension held in the body, Follweiler says. “A daily practice, combined with meditation, is ideal.”

Meditation
Focusing the mind on one thought, phrase, sound or sight for a period of time helps men let go of worries.

Men also need to learn how to defuse a stressful situation when it occurs. “Recognize your negative thoughts,” Kaufmann says, “stop viewing the situation as a threat and realize you can handle it.”

He suggests that men under stress take time at the end of the day to review moments that made them angry, anxious or fearful. “Then re-enact those situations and imagine neutralizing those emotions or blocking them with some type of imagery,” he says. “Think about what events might happen the next day to cause you stress, and practice how you’ll react to them in a healthy way.”

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