Man Versus COVID-19: Stay Grounded
Social distancing. Self-isolation. Lockdown. Quarantine. Man Versus COVID-19. Whatever you want to call it, these are challenging times for everyone!
Dubbed the ‘silent epidemic’, suicide rates for middle aged men have increased dramatically over the past decade. Men are isolated and overwhelmed and receiving support is often fraught with challenges and stigma. Many of our clinicians focus on counseling for men and their relationships to mitigate isolation and increase support.
Often, isolated, we see men coping with life’s challenges, responsibilities, and relationships in a number of ways.
• Frequent alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana binges or consistent use despite consequences to health, finances or relationships
• Absorption and over focused with career and work to the detriment of personal relationships and health
• Persistent gambling perpetuating debt and/or distractions from other responsibilities in life
• Overwhelmed by a recent divorce, life transition, instability, or infidelity
• Out of control sexual behavior via pornography/masturbation, paid sex, or infidelity despite potential or recurrent conflicts
• Difficulties controlling anger at work, home, or in intimate relationships
• Sexual anxiety causing avoidance, premature ejaculation, or impotence
• Frequent lethargy, numbing, or feeling withdrawn in the face of increasing life demands
• Elusive sense of purpose and meaning
• Bouts of anxiety, panic, and feelings of overwhelm
Help is available and you may benefit from working with us. We provide a non-judgmental, supportive, and challenging environment, offering you the guidance and accountability to cultivate a capacity to better manage your responsibilities and your relationships.
Social distancing. Self-isolation. Lockdown. Quarantine. Man Versus COVID-19. Whatever you want to call it, these are challenging times for everyone!
Many clients have expressed that just the thought of opening up to someone unfamiliar prevented them from coming in sooner. I decided to dig deeper into this perspective, and I was especially curious about what male clients experience. After all, we do live in a gendered society where males are expected to be unemotional, so how does therapy challenge this concept? A close friend recently started seeing a therapist for the first time, so I interviewed him about his journey.
For those who are struggling with sexuality in their relationships, so many men and women see male sexual desire as a problem. It is needy and persistent. It insists on being satisfied. And, so often men look to their partners to help them solve this problem.