We often don’t realize it, but men and women tend to process and react to stress very differently from one another.
For example, when a man is experiencing stress, he may be more likely to feel aggressive, and perhaps not even attribute it to the underlying stress he’s feeling.
For men, driving while you’re under stress might lead to road rage behaviors, as just one example.
For both men and women, it can be valuable to understand differences in how stress is dealt with.
An Overview of Stress
Stress can mean that you experience physical or emotional tension. If you feel angry, nervous, or frustrated, that can lead to stress. Your body responds to periods of demand or challenges with a stress response.
Not all stress is bad. There are situations where it can be a good thing—for example, if you’re working to meet a particular deadline.
Ongoing or chronic stress is detrimental to your health.
If you’re in a period of ongoing stress, effects can include heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression or anxiety. For men, there are specific health risks linked to stress such as a higher risk of prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, and cardiovascular disease.
While men may be less likely to show that they’re stressed outwardly, there’s some evidence women may handle it better, particularly when it relates to things like work.
Symptoms of Stress in Men
Symptoms of stress in men can be physical, psychological, and behavioral. Some of these signs include:
- Headache
- Constipation
- Muscle tension
- Fatigue
- Neck, chest, or back pain
- Heartburn
- Irritability
- Anger
- Loss of interest in sex
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Isolation or social withdrawal
- Clenching the jaw or grinding teeth
- Gambling
- Exercising less
The Effect of Sex Hormones
There is a biological reason men may react to stress differently than women—sex hormones.
There are three in particular that play a pivotal role in the handling of stress. These are cortisol, epinephrine, and oxytocin.
When you’re stressed, cortisol and epinephrine go up and raise your blood pressure. In women, when they experience a stressful situation, the oxytocin also enters the equation. Oxytocin can counteract the effects of cortisol and epinephrine, which many promote more relaxing emotions.
Men release less oxytocin when they’re stressed, by contrast.
When a woman is stressed, she might turn to a social network to help her, largely because of the effects of oxytocin. Men, on the other hand, tend to go more in the direction of fight or flight since they have less oxytocin. This means they may try to escape or fight back when feeling stressed.
Specifically, when stressed, men are more likely to be argumentative and less supportive ofthe people around them. They may be quieter, respond to things more critically and they might do more activities by themselves.
How Can Men Handle Stress?
For men dealing with stress, they can’t necessarily change their hormonal reaction, but there are still things they can do.
First, try to increase oxytocin to have a response more similar to that of women.
You can turn to your loved ones for support as a way to increase your oxytocin levels, for example.
If you can increase your testosterone during times of stress, you can also decrease cortisol. This might mean that you do physical activities such as working out or playing sports when you’re stressed.
In general, exercising regularly can be an important component of mental health for both men and women. If you dedicate time to exercising consistently, it will help relieve tension and energy you may have built up.
You should also take care of your health and body in other ways, such as making sure you eat well and sleep enough.
Meditation can be a valuable tool at your disposal to help you deal with stress. You can do a meditation practice, or use yoga or tai chi as a way to quiet your thoughts and your mind.
If there are ways to avoid situations that you know trigger your stress, do them. For example, if rush-hour traffic tends to increase your stress levels, leave for work earlier in the morning to avoid it.
Finally, a big part of dealing with stress for men is realizing there are some things they can’t control or change in their life. Find ways to deal with the uncontrollable rather than letting these situations lead to an emotional spiral that contributes to chronic stress.
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
