The Stresses of Life Group
for Men

Stress is a part of life –a coping mechanism humans develop to keep us alive. Nevertheless, when does it become harmful?

We use the term ‘stress’ all the time – but what does it mean? In our lives, we push past the warning signs that our brain, mind, and body give us to achieve more. Our mothers, fathers, caregivers, role models, and society taught us that we must be strong and keep moving forward.

No matter what was happening, you put your boots on and went to work. Furthermore, for a long time, it worked. But what happened? It did not work; we just put a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.

We push it down. We say nothing. We keep providing. We keep going.

In 2019, the leading cause of death in men was heart disease. That is 1 in 4 men. Why? We develop unhealthy ways of coping with that stress – anger, substance use (alcohol, drugs, or smoking), unhealthy levels of exercise or a lack thereof), and unhealthy diets, among others. All, as I see it, is an unhealthy way to cope with stress because we were taught otherwise.

To be the best version of ourselves for the people in our lives – most notably, ourselves – we need to understand what stress is, including its influence on our mind, body, and spirit; how to cope with it; and even how to eliminate its effects.