Part 4: The Multiple Mental Stresses Faced by Middle-Aged Men and Psychological Coping Methods

Facing immense mental pressure

The primary source of stress for middle-aged men is work and interpersonal relationships, followed by financial and marital/family pressures. In addition to these three major burdens, declining physical health, the health of elderly parents, and the pressure of children's education also contribute to their stress levels.

Some middle-aged men who are under long-term stress may not be able to find a specific source of stress, but sudden life events can still trigger mental illness. In such cases, men should pay special attention to their mood swings and various physiological indicators.

Depression, anxiety, and other emotional distress experienced by middle-aged men primarily stem from the following six aspects:

★ Setting excessively high expectations of oneself

On the stage of life, many middle-aged men are unwilling to give up so many opportunities and refuse to admit defeat in the face of so many rivals. Willing to bear pressure in order to realize their ideals is a true reflection of many middle-aged men's lives. However, if they harbor excessive desires for money, wealth, and status, that is greed. It causes prolonged tension in the brain, accelerates the normal rhythm of heart and brain activity, and creates a rhythm that is out of sync with normal physiological functions, thus harming the brain, mind, and body.

★ High work pressure

Middle-aged men are often the backbone of a company. They are well-educated, mature, possess strong business skills, and have rich practical work experience, so the work pressure is naturally also very high. To complete their tasks, they never slack off at work. The normal working hours for most people are 8-10 hours, which is the body's healthy tolerance. Working more than 12 hours a day for extended periods will put stress on the body.

★ Not a good enough mindset

Being constantly in a highly competitive environment can cause extreme stress, distress, and depression, leading to fluctuating emotions. Career pressure is particularly detrimental to middle-aged men; if they cannot withstand this pressure, they often experience a sense of loss, commonly referred to as a "gray mentality." The emotional reactions stemming from this sense of loss can lead to pessimism, disappointment, lack of confidence, and even cynicism.

★ Frequent family crises

The work environment, social environment, and the value choices and emotional allocations among family members can all potentially conceal or trigger family crises. Even without a cause for conflict, stress can still fall on middle-aged men through the family. This leaves many middle-aged men feeling depressed, anxious, and irritable all the time.

Raising children is too much work.

"If a child is not taught, it is the father's fault." With societal development, the issue of parental education has become increasingly prominent. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to educate their children. The family is a child's first classroom, and family education has a profound impact on a child's development. However, children's rebelliousness, coupled with the influence of some objective social factors, makes fathers feel powerless in their educational efforts.

★ Frequently affected by illness

As people reach middle age, bodily functions decline, and illnesses gradually increase. Middle-aged men often feel their bodies are not as strong as before. Illness is most likely to cause depression, and some may even lose their will to live. The pressure of illness stems from the fear of losing health and the belief that recovery is impossible.

So, how should middle-aged men adjust their mindset?

To accurately assess yourself: Always maintain a calm and composed mindset, and cultivate a broad and magnanimous spirit. Don't deliberately set unattainable goals; do everything within your capabilities. Adjusting your goals as needed is not necessarily a sign of weakness.

Change your mindset: View stressful work as a joyful experience. Learn to share your joys and sorrows with colleagues instead of keeping them bottled up inside.

Properly manage the relationship between career and family: Family harmony and career success are by no means mutually exclusive; their relationship is interactive. A harmonious family brings prosperity in all things; without the ability to "manage one's family," one is unlikely to be able to "bring peace to the world."

Be well-prepared when facing pressure: Recognize that the high efficiency of modern society inevitably brings high competition and challenges. Be psychologically prepared for the potential negative impacts to avoid panic and increased stress. At the same time, maintain a normal, optimistic, and open-minded attitude, and don't let adversity weigh you down.

Enrich your personal leisure time: Enjoying life often makes people feel happy. Painting, calligraphy, chess, sports, and entertainment can add a lot of fun to life, regulate the pace of life, and help people get rid of the monotonous and tense atmosphere and move towards joy and relaxation.

Turning pressure into motivation is a more effective way to reduce your "burden" and make you more like a true middle-aged man.

Pay attention to male menopause

Do men experience menopause? What are the symptoms during this period, and is it normal?

When menopause is mentioned, most people think of middle-aged women, who may experience irritability, depression, insomnia, and forgetfulness. However, men also experience menopause. Because men's menopause occurs slightly later than women's, generally between the ages of 50 and 60, and its onset is slower and the symptoms are milder, it is easily overlooked.

Menopause in women is caused by the decline of ovarian function, while men's menopause is caused by the decline of testicular function. The testes secrete the male hormone testosterone, but after the age of 50, as men age, the structure and function of the gonads decline, and testosterone production gradually decreases. This phenomenon of declining male sex hormone secretion due to age is what is known as "male menopause."

Testosterone plays a vital role in men's health, affecting sexual function, muscle mass, physical strength, cardiovascular health, bone health, cognitive abilities, and mood. A decline in testosterone levels can cause a range of symptoms, primarily a feeling of "feeling weak or unable to perform," with four main clinical manifestations. Those in this age group can also self-test to see if they've entered menopause.

First, physiological changes. These include unstable blood pressure (high or low), heart rate that is too fast or too slow, inconsistent appetite, declining sexual function, frequent urination, especially increased urination at night, constipation or loose stools, easy fatigue, slow movement, unsteady gait, and osteoporosis.

Second, mental and nervous system dysfunction. Such as emotional instability, irritability, agitation, temper tantrums, or depression, feelings of loss, facial flushing, excessive sweating, chills or intermittent fever, insomnia, headache, dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, forgetfulness, drowsiness, cold limbs, soreness or pain in the lower back and legs, joint pain, numbness in the limbs, burning or itchy skin.

Third, metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and edema.

Male 10%

Fourth, changes in the sexual organs. These include penile atrophy, smaller testes, thinner semen, reduced sperm count, erectile dysfunction, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

These symptoms are collectively known as "male menopause syndrome." Menopause is indeed a medical condition that requires medical guidance and treatment to manage. However, few men proactively seek medical attention after experiencing menopausal symptoms; most choose not to consult a doctor or secretly self-medicate.

Why do men going through menopause experience a decline in sexual function but find it difficult to talk about it?

First, most men are unaware of male menopause, often believing they are still young. Even if they experience symptoms such as decreased appetite, joint pain, or palpitations, they often don't realize it's menopause. Therefore, many men are completely unaware that they should see a doctor for examination and diagnosis, let alone which specialist to consult or seek treatment from. Some even secretly purchase health supplements for self-treatment.

In addition, many men going through menopause are too embarrassed to go to the hospital for a checkup, fearing they might run into acquaintances at the outpatient clinic and lose face. Meanwhile, successful men often feel ashamed of experiencing "impotence."

Feeling "impotent" can severely damage a man's self-esteem. In addition to easily leading to disharmony in marital life and tension in family relationships, it may also further harm the physical and mental health of both men and women.

In fact, male menopause can be prevented or delayed. If menopausal symptoms appear, medical attention should be sought as soon as possible; otherwise, it may lead to a series of health problems.

Men entering menopause need to take better care of themselves, pay attention to health and wellness, establish a reasonable lifestyle, participate in appropriate physical exercise, pay attention to a scientific diet and balanced nutrition, ensure sufficient rest, and cultivate an optimistic attitude.