Men: Don’t Hide That Work Frustration!

We all have pent up frustration of all sorts.  The more emotionally healthy we are at expressing that frustration though, the more likely it won’t interfere with our longevity by giving us the mother of all mothers – a heart attack. No health problem, other than cancer, strikes as much fear into the heart of a man, especially a man in middle age or slightly beyond.

Men are known to have more heart problems, and there is even some research suggesting that men’s hearts simply are not as strong or resilient as a woman’s heart is built, most likely because a women has to withstand the enormous pressures of carrying and having a child, which puts a lot of stress and strain on the woman’s body.  That’s capitulation of course, but it does make sense if you wrap your head around it all the way.

It’s not to say that all men’s hearts are inferior, simply because they are male.  Of course, there are a lot of other factors that enter into the picture that determine the strength and longevity of our dear ol’ hearts. Things like congenital heart defects (which we are born with) and also genetics play into our heart issues quite a bit too, so mom and pop’s tickers may definitely foreshadow any problems you might have as well.

A study, commissioned in Sweden, showed that men who tended to cope with problems at the workplace where they perceived that they were being treated unfairly or were not being compensated or otherwise were being treated badly or taken for granted, in a way that they did not show any outward emotion (ie they bottled their emotions up), were almost five times more likely to suffer heart attacks where they died, or to have some serious form of heart disease.

This is not a huge surprise, as emotions are closely tied to our health in more ways than even the most self aware of us can imagine.  I wish that men (and women) would realize what they are doing to themselves when they don’t address issues that are bothering them or making them feel bad in some way. Also, if you are in toxic relationships or in situations that create a lot of stress of self esteem issues, then you need to get out of them as soon as possible if you are to salvage your health.

There is such a very powerful connection between the mind and body that I don’t think people realize how much they can help their health by being mentally healthy.