A little nervous excitement has a beneficial effect on a person. But severe stress triggers a mechanism of destruction, in which all systems of the body suffer, immunity decreases, and the emotional background fades.
From the strongest impact on a person, the body’s protective abilities are exacerbated. It is their inclusion that provokes a stressful state. In psychology there is a special stress scale that contains standard traumatic conditions. In the first place is the death of relatives and friends. In last place, promotion at work, wedding. Positive emotions can also make you worry.
Stress in men - symptoms and coping
Almost everyone knows what stress is. And certainly each of us will be able to describe the characteristics of our stress. But situations that can plunge us into such states are extremely individual: some may be worried about a change of place of residence, others may be worried about a change in cultural living conditions (emigration), and others generally seem impenetrable. However, stress is an integral part of modernity, especially urban life. So what is stress?
- Eustress is a state that helps mobilize our resources to survive in uncertain, new or risky conditions. This form of stress helps to adapt to the situation and is positive, adaptive in nature.
- depression (or);
- alertness (or);
- sleep disorders;
- general malaise;
- partial loss of control over emotions, too strong affective reactions or emotional dullness.
- migraines, pain in the back of the head;
- gastrointestinal disorders;
- Distress is actually the stress that people usually describe. This is a maladaptive type of stress that disrupts our normal lives and is associated with the depletion of our psycho-emotional and physical resources.
Let's start with what is easier for us to understand - the signs of destructive stress. Both descriptions in disease classifications and clinical practice show that symptoms of distress can be conditionally divided into two categories: mental and physiological. Let's start with the psychological ones.
Psychological symptoms
In part, this picture resembles subdepressive states (in simple terms, the blues), but another thing is fundamentally important - all these reactions are reversible! With the right approach to correcting stressful conditions, the psychological aspects of life return to their usual level.
Physiological symptoms
Now it's time to talk about the physiological symptoms of stress. It is worth recognizing that negative stress is one of the most “physiological” conditions. So, the following signs may appear:
It is obvious that negative stress conditions lead to a sharp drop in the body’s tone. And it is quite natural that sexual activity also decreases. This is due to two facts:
As a rule, stress completely “switches” attention to itself and the weakening of potency in these states is rarely perceived as a real problem or as fear of loss of function. But overly impressionable men, or men with high sexual activity, may perceive such an incident as a serious blow with far-reaching consequences. In the worst case, functional sexual disorders such as STOSN may develop.
It is extremely possible to divide methods of overcoming stress into “chemical” and psychological. We will start with the psychological aspects of overcoming.
The first thing to think about in a situation that we assess as prolonged stress is what exactly drives us into this state? Are we able to somehow influence, change or overcome current difficulties? If you can get rid of a stressful situation, this is best. Although how many people decide to quit a good position for the sake of their psychological well-being? Here the person decides directly. If the situation cannot be changed, then all that remains is to change your attitude towards it. And a good consultant or psychotherapist will help with this.
As part of psychotherapeutic correction, individual work with the client can be carried out, but the author’s experience suggests that in the case of a non-pathological condition, it is best to work in psychotherapeutic groups. As part of group work, people learn to reconsider their problems and literally energize each other, which helps to take a fresh look at the problem of their condition. It is not uncommon for such an experience to ultimately dramatically increase the so-called stress resistance, which in the future helps to more successfully cope with life’s incidents.
One of the working methods is auto-relaxation training associated with learning to better understand your body. After all, stress is perfectly detected at the somatic level, as we wrote about above. Sessions of such training teach a person to regulate his psycho-emotional state by changing the tone of his body. The big advantage of these methods is that they can (and should) be practiced at home, because the texts for such training are freely available. It is important to do this regularly and purposefully.
Pills only relieve the symptoms of stress, but do not eliminate its causes.
Here we are talking about freely available drugs (like Afobazole) and traditional medicines, like valerian. By the way, about valerian. Let's pose a strange question: is it necessary to completely remove stress from life? Let's give an example from student life.
Do you need it? — the decision is up to each individual.
Above we talked about the daily stress that permeates our lives from time to time. But stress also has clinical manifestations, which include acute stress reactions (ASR), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic stress reactions.
OSD develops under sad circumstances: disasters, terrorist attacks, deaths of close relatives. May be accompanied by partial amnesia, fugues, and manic excitement. As a rule, most people exhibit PTSD reactions after ASD.
Concluding our article, let us give men advice - do not be afraid to ask for help. Prevention of stress disorders is much better than their treatment, and a healthy psyche is more valuable than any financial resources.
And finally, we recommend that curious readers turn to the popular science book by Mihai Chiksen, which summarizes decades of advisory practice and experiments, revealing to readers the world of well-being and happiness.
This definition seems somewhat surprising, because we are used to talking about stress as something harmful, but there is an explanation for this. Stress can be beneficial or destructive:
But in what cases can we talk about useful or dangerous stress? Let's look into this.
Is every type of stress harmful?
It has been proven that stress can also be beneficial. It is he who helps the body turn on its protective functions. So when a person isolates himself from experiences, problems and psychological shocks, he simply shortens his life.
So small stresses help the body to harden, while very significant and constant experiences can deplete the body and cause irreparable harm.
Symptoms of stress
And these are not all manifestations of stress reactions. Asthenia - exhaustion caused by chronic stress, in principle, undermines human health by weakening the immune system.
But eustress, or mobilizing stress, is a more pleasant thing that is rarely called stress by the masses. As a rule, this is some tension, anticipation of some event, subjectively pleasant. This state of optimal tension helps us do something better, find the strength to sacrifice something for the sake of the final goal. Adaptive stress is a condition for normal human existence in an uncertain world.
Now let’s talk separately about sexual function in chronic distress.
Relieving and overcoming stress
Psychological methods
Now let's move on to more formalized methods of overcoming stress - pills.
Medications for stress
Today there is a very widespread belief that tablets will help overcome stress. And historically, many people seek reassurance at the bottom of the glass. Unfortunately, not all “traditional” methods are effective, much less safe.
We won’t talk about the fact that you shouldn’t douse stress with alcohol—that’s obvious. Poor health, an increased risk of forming bad habits, and a lack of external change will only make the situation worse.
Another myth is drugs. Of course, dozens of sedatives on sale will help cope with hundreds of symptoms, but... the reason will remain, and the attitude towards the problem will remain unchanged.
Some anxious students before exams are so crushed by stressful conditions that at the last moment they decide to “calm down” with valerian. They will achieve their goal, but how does this affect their effectiveness? As a rule, such students do much worse: and not because they don’t know the subject, but because they simply don’t care - as long as they pass.
Benefits for the body
- The circulatory system is toned. When experiencing stress, blood vessels narrow, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and adrenaline and norepinephrine are released into the blood. Thus, the entire circulatory system is toned and the immune system is strengthened. In this way the body comes into combat readiness.
- Labor activity is intensifying. Under stress, work activity also intensifies and the quality and speed of thinking increases. This has a positive effect on the speed of completing urgent tasks and solving difficult life situations.
What are the consequences of severe stress?
A little nervous excitement has a beneficial effect on a person. But severe stress triggers a mechanism of destruction, in which all systems of the body suffer, immunity decreases, and the emotional background fades.
From the strongest impact on a person, the body’s protective abilities are exacerbated. It is their inclusion that provokes a stressful state. In psychology there is a special stress scale that contains standard traumatic conditions. In the first place is the death of relatives and friends. In last place - promotion at work, wedding. Positive emotions can also make you worry.
Sequence of stressful situations
Any stressful situation has a certain sequence: beginning, culmination and denouement. The state of health is influenced by the last stage - post-stress, when the body adapts to what happened. The duration of this stage depends on the characteristics of the person. When this stage drags on, exhaustion of the body can occur, with all the consequences. The main thing is not to linger in post-stress.
Causes of nervous stress
Understanding the reasons makes it possible to quickly figure out how to deal with stress. Strong psychological stress arises due to separation from relatives, for example, as a result of death. This situation has a quick, severe effect on the human nervous system.
The causes of a stressful situation are: external, internal.
Any experience can cause stress to the body. External reasons include a change in the usual environment, a plane flight, moving to a permanent place of residence in another country, leaving a usual place of work.
Low self-esteem is often a cause of stress. If a person does not love himself, this is a difficult stressful situation for the psyche, which will negatively affect the physical and mental state. Keeping your experiences in your memory for a long time; negative moments in life also contribute to nervous disorders.
Eating disorders
Chronic stress is directly related to eating habits. To cope with stress and please oneself, a person begins to seek solace in food, or, on the contrary, tries to limit its consumption. As a result, we have a whole range of nervous eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, overeating, psychogenic vomiting, loss of appetite and complete refusal to eat. Often it is stress that causes obesity, and in order to cope with the problem, a person will need not just nutritional correction, but also the help of a psychiatrist.
Signs of severe stress
Stress protects a person from a strong irritant and neutralizes possible negative consequences. The body’s reactions vary, but everyone has symptoms of a kind of burnout. The physical and psychological spheres suffer. Signs of an unstable stress state appear quickly.
It is important that at this stage there is someone close to the person. Many symptoms of severe stress appear for the first time and are often noticed only by people who know the person's character intimately. Not everyone knows what to do in such cases.
A person has impaired memory, concentration, thoughts are focused on negative events, and from the whole series of news they unconsciously choose exclusively negative ones. Emotional symptoms include increased irritability, which gradually increases, leading to a state of despondency and prolonged depression. Difficult experiences can turn into an acute feeling of loneliness with detachment from the surrounding reality and isolation.
Symptoms of stress can be:
Physical signs include periodic nausea that has no reason, impaired digestion of food in the form of constipation or diarrhea, and decreased libido. Severe dizziness and increased heart rate are possible. Signs of severe stress in women are increased emotionality, irritability, tearfulness, and menstrual irregularities.
For a man, stress occurs differently. Although the male body is strong emotionally, exacerbation of chronic diseases may occur, disturbances in the functioning of the heart and genital organs may appear as a consequence of emotional experiences.
How to recover from stress
The manifestations of stress in each person, both men and women, are very individual. Recovery of the nervous system after prolonged stress also occurs differently for everyone. For one person, communication with loved ones allows him to come to his senses, while for others, the best way to rest and relax the body is to rest alone and in peace. Some people remove the negative experiences or pain caused from their memory with the help of relaxation or yoga, while others choose active recreation, travel, sea cruises, and hiking routes to adapt to new living conditions.
There are many ways to calm down after stress; we will present below the most universal, acceptable and simple ones, so that every reader can easily use one or more options.
Drug treatment
Some stressful situations can be managed with medication. You need to visit a doctor. A competent specialist will assess the condition based on the existing symptoms and select a treatment that will make the person stronger and calmer. This will include not only medications, but also psychotherapeutic practices. If necessary, the patient will be examined by a cardiologist and psychotherapist, who will tell you how to cope with stress.
To identify the influence of negative emotions on internal organs, examinations and laboratory tests are prescribed. Based on the results, it will be clear with what consequences the therapy should be carried out. It is necessary to conduct classes with a psychotherapist, in a group or individually, to reduce the impact of severe stress on the body.
Special relaxing gymnastics shows good results. It is carried out under the guidance of a trainer and includes stretching and flexibility exercises. Do it regularly, then it will be effective.
Medicines are taken only on the recommendation of a doctor after a complete examination. Sedatives are addictive, so self-medication is dangerous. Among medicines based on medicinal herbs, Persen is prescribed; among synthetic drugs, Afabazol is prescribed for stress.
For complex treatment, a balanced diet, supplemented with vitamins, adherence to a daily routine, mandatory walking, and sleep after lunch are provided. With strong unstable experiences, long-term recovery work is needed. Herbal medicine, pine baths, and a shower massage can be added to the standard set. A foot massage, a visit to the pool, or a bathhouse helps a lot. For symptoms of mental disorder, all this is calming and beneficial.
The dangers of stress
Severe stress should not be taken lightly. It disrupts the functioning of internal organs. This will not be noticeable immediately; the person will seek medical help from specialized specialists. But people rarely go to doctors for the main reason—nervous feelings. People are not used to recognizing this condition in themselves or think of overcoming it on their own. With the negative consequences of this condition, only a doctor and medications can help. With self-treatment, the problem will drag on for a long time and become chronic.
Consequences of stress for humans:
- increased blood pressure;
- rapid pulse;
- ulcer;
- gastritis;
- digestive disorders (constipation or diarrhea);
- skin rashes;
- thrush in a woman;
- eczema;
- menstrual irregularities;
- neuroses;
- obesity;
- increased risk of stroke, heart attack;
- acceleration of aging.
The effects of severe stress are more pronounced in women and people over 60 years of age.
When too much stress becomes harmful
People differ in how they respond to stress. The same situation can be tolerated quite calmly by one and turn out to be insoluble for another. People who feel resilient and confident will not react heavily to a problem.
Another factor is control. Stress is much less dangerous if a person has some control over what is happening. If he feels helpless at this moment, the consequences will most likely be negative.
Early life experiences also shape how people respond to stress. If a person has been through a lot at an early age, they may be more vulnerable to its harmful effects.
Ways to relieve nervous tension
The stronger the stress, the more energy is spent fighting it. There are many effective methods to relieve severe stress.
The method of relaxing breathing exercises suggests doing special exercises that help achieve proper breathing. If you have severe anxiety, you need to breathe, listening to your inhalation and exhalation. It acts as a sedative, allowing you to relax and get distracted.
Dr. Vetoz's method suggests using so-called generation. You need to close your eyes and draw an imaginary white figure eight on a black background - an infinity sign. For a better idea, you can draw on the blackboard with chalk. This method has calming properties, relieves emotional overexcitation, and helps you fall asleep quickly.
Actively switching from the problem, occupying your free time saves you from emotional burnout. There shouldn't be enough time to worry. A calming quality can be found in activities that have not been done before. You can start singing out loud, start breeding ornamental birds, and master Nordic walking. It is dangerous for the body to become immersed in oneself and one’s negative thoughts.
Ways to respond to stress
People also differ in how they react to a stress factor. There are several categories of reactions.
- "Bunny Stress" In this case, the person passively experiences the traumatic situation. He does not have the strength to activate, he hides from problems.
- "Lion Stress" A person with this manifestation reacts violently, angrily and expressively to stressful events.
- "Ox Stress" The method implies a type of reaction at the limit of one’s mental, emotional and physical capabilities. Such a person can live and work for a long time in a traumatic situation.
Preventive measures
In the modern world of speed, stress will not surprise anyone. He has become a person's everyday companion. To prevent it from destroying the body from the inside, preventive measures must be taken. A sedative - drinking tea. About 2 times a week it is useful to drink tea with mint or lemon balm, it is good to brew real plant leaves, and not use chemical additives. They calm the nervous system and have a beneficial effect on the heart.
It is advisable to do water soothing procedures 2 times a week or more often. Before going to bed, take a bath with aromatic oils, add foam and salt. You can turn on your favorite music. The water should be at a pleasant temperature. Even with severe irritation, a calming effect is ensured. It will begin at the physical level and move to the psychological sphere, because everything in the body is connected.
Psychologists advise periodically changing the environment, for example, going somewhere during vacation. This will allow you to calm down faster, which will not happen in a familiar environment. Even going out into nature on a day off for a few hours is beneficial in case of severe stress.
Sports and physical exercise are good for the body and soul. You have to give your all to such activities. With strong training, there is no longer room for bad thoughts. Muscle fatigue has a positive effect on the body, like a sedative.
Stress in men is a cure for depression
Stress in men manifests itself less frequently than in the weaker sex; their psyche is more emotionally strong-willed. Today you will learn how to determine the causes and prevention of a nervous breakdown.
The slightest irritation or serious shock that affects the nervous system leads to disorder in everyday life.
Emotional people are susceptible to stress. Overexertion can cause problems at work, family scandals and troubles, and divorce proceedings.
Stressful situations are more difficult for men, if they happen. They cannot express their emotions with strong crying, hysterics, they keep everything to themselves, which is fraught with the development of other diseases.
Heart attack and stroke are statistically more common among the stronger sex against the background of internal experiences and shocks. Since childhood, they were told by their mothers, grandmothers, and fathers that they were the future heads of the family and that they must be strong.
Therefore, these patterns very often drive a man into a dead end. In fact, he is also characterized by emotional stress, he also needs to talk to someone and, in the end, cry.
Because stress is fraught with drug addiction, alcoholism, and in some cases, even leading to treatment in a psychiatric clinic. Therefore, a note to close people, be sure to support your loved ones during difficult periods.
Ways to overcome
Men are designed in such a way that they are not used to sharing their experiences with anyone. Women can cry to their best friends and go and unwind. To overcome a dark streak, you need the support of loved ones and loved ones.
How to overcome stress as a man:
Long-term stress affects the central nervous system and internal organs. They say that “all diseases come from nerves.” A number of pathologies can develop on this basis.
Depression
If depression occurs as a result of any traumatic situation, it is called reactive. The main causes of the disease are stress from the loss of a loved one, divorce, financial difficulties, professional troubles, conflicts, etc. Reactive depression can last from 1 month to 2 years. The symptoms of this disorder are quite serious (anxiety, tantrums, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, loss of appetite), and treatment should be carried out by a professional psychotherapist.
