Young Men & Stress
2015-10-06 21:19:39 Teagan Darnell
Young men seem to be under significant amounts of stress and the factors that contribute to this may be more harmful than we recognize. In Western culture young men are expected to achieve many milestones to reach so called "manhood", such as getting a degree, getting a job, finding a place to live, having a social life, making enough money to maintain the status, maintaining strength and physique, eventually being emotionally available in an intimate relationship, and on top of all of that somehow managing to be an attuned and attentive father and spouse. These milestones are not unattainable, but this a tall order. It seems that young men are supposed to grow up very quickly, yet many young men report that they still feel like boys and that growing up is more difficult than they had anticipated it would be.
Many young men also believe they have to appear as though they are unaffected and unfazed by the pressures that rest upon them. Expectations about the rate at which manhood is supposed to progress is devastating to the self-esteem of many men in their 20's and 30's. They feel lost, wanting to meet all of the criteria that are imposed on them, but sometimes it can all seem like too much. If we can readjust some of our thoughts about what cultural manhood really means and how men are supposed to function in society, everyone may benefit. Women might find that they would have more open and emotionally available men, because the truth is that men do want to be connected. Often young men have not learned how to be emotionally connected yet
Perhaps men would be less stressed, or at least feel more understood, if they received support, acceptance, and had the freedom to admit that they don't have it all together. Instead of having the threat of failure nipping at their heels, perhaps allowing men to be humans, with strengths and weaknesses, is a step in the right direction.
Men, Mental Health, Anxiety