What Causes Anxiety In Men?
Over 40 million adults struggle with anxiety in the U.S. — making it the most common mental health condition. It’s more common for women but even so, some 14 percent of men will be diagnosed with anxiety in their life. Anxiety disorders can present differently for men and women in terms of signs and symptoms but the underlying causes are often very similar.
Adults of either sex most frequently develop anxiety when feeling stress about finances, health, relationships, etc. The main differences lie in how men and women handle such anxiety. Also, the different expectations placed on men in our society play a major role in how the disorder plays out.
The Big Difference with Men
First, let’s broaden out the question in the title: What causes anxiety to become chronic in men? As stated, men and women will experience anxiety for many of the same general life reasons. But for a man, a major difference exists in perception and self-perception. Societal pressure can make them view anxiety as a “weakness.” This reduces the chances of them asking for help or even admitting that a problem exists. As a result, the disorder will almost certainly worsen — putting more pressure on the man to suppress any potential stigma.
This Herculean effort at saving face can involve a wide array of dysfunctional coping mechanisms. For example:
Angry outbursts
Drug and alcohol abuse
Distracting oneself by constantly being online
Playing video games
Consuming more and more pornography
Engaging in increasingly risky behaviors
This is not to say women with anxiety never engage in such behaviors. However, studies find this trend to be far more prevalent in males. Meanwhile, all of the above is happening concurrently with the standard anxiety symptoms.
Other Anxiety Symptoms in Men
Relentless worry: The hallmark anxiety symptom, it can reach a point where daily functioning is severely impacted.
Relationship issues: A man with anxiety may fear “failing” at a relationship so much that they avoid even trying.
Unable to relax: Anxiety often keeps a man perpetually on edge — as if he just can’t keep it all together much longer.
Sleep disturbances: This usually manifests in an inability to fall asleep and/or sleep soundly through the night.
Digestive disturbances: Anxiety tends to throw off your digestion in a few different ways, e.g. nausea, stomach aches, dizziness, and more.
Headaches and/or migraines: Another physical symptom is this seemingly inevitable and painful outcome.
Inability to focus or concentrate: So much energy is being expended to keep your anxiety under wraps that your cognition suffers in several key ways.
As I trust you can see, men can frequently and unknowingly make an anxiety disorder worse. It is not a palpable, obvious symptom like, say, a torn muscle or broken bone. Thus, anxiety is regularly pushed to the side without alarming the people in your life. Eventually, however, the escalation of symptoms becomes too much to disguise. That’s when a man might finally seek the help he needs.
That Big First Step
It would ideal if more men asked for support way earlier in the anxiety cycle. Even so, keep in mind that anxiety disorders can be treated at any stage. Many men report feeling very relieved when they finally call a therapist. All the hiding and obscuring can now end. Now, the healing can begin.
Therapy is not about shame or weakness. For men, it helps to think of it as coaching. When pursuing any new skill or improvement in your life, it’s natural to consult someone with experience who can guide you. A skilled therapist is one who can offer you space to learn, grow, evolve, and figure some things out for yourself. I invite you to reach out and talk soon and feel supported with men's issues counseling.
