I've written a lot about how anxiety manifests in women.
women are High rate of anxiety Also, a woman's anxiety can seriously damage her relationship with her husband and children.
However, many men still struggle with anxiety disorders, which affect their ability to function in relationships, as parents, at work, and more.
Photo: Mental Health America (MHA)/Pexels
Here are five ways a man's anxiety manifests itself in less obvious ways.
1. Control of behavior
Suffering from anxiety makes many men seem very controlling. It is very difficult for them to be in an unpredictable environment, so they try to control every aspect of their daily life, their home, and the actions of those around them. Women may think a man is self-absorbed or even a narcissist when he is highly insecure and unable to cope with change.
2. Frustration
Highly anxious men can become angry very quickly because they feel very dysregulated in their minds when things don't go as planned. When he comes home from his work and his kids are making a lot of noise, he can become completely overwhelmed and make aggressive remarks or even run out of the room or the house. Overstimulation or unexpected noises or disruptions can lead to outbursts and rage.
3. Stiffness
The solid man embodies the adage, “my way or the highway.”A man who often struggles with a strict worldview attract talented women, are people who soothe women and get them into tune with them, but as these women grow older and more confident, they can rebel and lead to marital discord. Strict men also tend to find it difficult to raise children, especially as children grow up and assert personal preferences and identities that may go against the man's preferences and desired outcomes. In extreme cases, stiffness can indicate: obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD, different from OCD).
4. I have few, if any, friends.
Anxious men have a hard time going with the flow, and being able to do this is an important aspect of a successful friendship. In some cases, they may even have business partners or training partners, but you don't often see these men socially in other areas. These men are concerned about what they say, whether other men are criticizing them (a trait of social anxiety), and whether or not other men are criticizing them (as opposed to exercising or working on something together). We are often nervous about whether non-productive pursuits will be perceived as a waste of time. do business together). Often the lack of friendship in a couple upsets the wife, while the man is unable to make “couple friends” because he does not want to be friends with the male half of the couple.
5. Difficulty having sex
In addition to experiencing anxiety-related erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, sex can become boring and monotonous for men with anxiety. He can be “superstitious” about what works for them and doesn't mess up what he feels is working for his wife. The emphasis is often on performance at the expense of fun, spontaneity, and experimentation. Women don't realize that fear of losing their erection (and fear of being judged if they do) is at the root of what can feel like isolated, unstimulating sex. .
If you can relate to these points, therapy can help. Exposure therapy and its principles It is central to most treatments for anxiety, including social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety. In addition to the influence of genetics (there are very few anxious people who did not have anxious parents), there is also a large influence of education and learned attitudes towards the world. fear of change and fear of negative evaluation.
Deeper research that examines men's families of origin could be transformative in helping men understand that their thought patterns are learned and may not be learned. Many anxious men have poor empathy. Because when you're experiencing the everyday emotion of “fight or flight,” you stop thinking about how his wife and kids are feeling.
Therapy can help you gain perspective in this way. And finally, couples counseling can also help partners work together and communicate effectively when they're feeling anxious, and also work on physical intimacy issues. Why waste your time worrying when you could be living a more peaceful and fulfilling life?
Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten, also known as Dr. Psycho Mama, is a practicing clinical psychologist. doctor psycho mom. She works with adults and couples in groups to implement the Best Life Behavioral Health Method.
This article was originally published at: Moderate. Reprinted with permission from the author.
