At some points during life, we all feel insecure about certain things about ourselves. A lot of men find it difficult to talk about their issues with others, so more often than not, they suffer in silence. Though the type of insecurity depends very much on the individual, there are some common themes that crop up time and time again. We will talk about a few of them here, as well as some methods that you can use to fight back against them. It is a trait of humans that we tend to magnify our problems to a much bigger scale than they need to be, so we will look at a few ways that you can put these issues into perspective, as well as some practical techniques that you can use as well.
Your Body
Body image issues are prevalent in men as well as women - eating disorders and body dysmorphia are both on the rise. Essentially, societal norms dictate a particular ideal of the male body, and if you don’t measure up, it is easy to feel disheartened. The practical steps that you can take are the ones that you will have heard a million times before, but that doesn’t make them any less effective- eat healthily and exercise regularly. Not only will these cornerstones of wellbeing improve your physical appearance, they will also help you to feel better about yourself.
You don’t have to start drinking kale smoothies and spending hour after hour in the gym to be healthier. First of all, find a physical activity that you enjoy. You could take up soccer, join a martial arts club or enter yourself in a running race. With so many different options out there, you are bound to find something that you enjoy. When it comes to eating healthily, you may just need to introduce a bit of balance into your life. Simply reducing the number of alcoholic drinks and take-aways you consume every week is a good starting point.
From a mental standpoint, it is important to know that a lot of the images that you see of the perfect body aren’t real. And as for many of the people you look at enviously, they have endless money and time to look their very best. Accepting the way you body is can be difficult, but you can get there in the end.
Your Finances
Not having enough money can be a major source of shame for many men. After all, the image of the man as ‘the provider’ is one that has been entrenched for centuries. But tough financial times is something that many of us are going through, and it has become worse in the past few years. It is now pretty much impossible to support a family on a single wage, so you are by no means alone in your situation.
The first practical thing that you can do is to master the art of frugality. This doesn’t mean that you stop enjoying life, you just cut out the things that aren’t enhancing yourself and learn to get the best price for anything that you want. Make coffee at home rather than going to Starbucks. Prepare all your meals for the week in advance. Buy things at the time of year when they are cheapest. All of these little changes will add up in the long-run.
If you are worried about your finances from a romantic point of view, always remember that relationships are ultimately about personality, not your bank balance. And there are plenty of wonderful dates that you can go on for little or no money.
Your Hair
Male pattern baldness is an issue that affects so many of us, but that doesn’t make it any less damaging to your self-esteem. After all, baldness seems to be a common and acceptable form of making fun of people’s appearance. If thinning or receding hair is currently an issue for you, there are one or two things that you can do.
One option is to go down the medical route. After all, treatments are improving all the time which counter the cause of hair-loss and help you to regrow your lost locks. Propecia tablets are used in men with male pattern baldness and have shown themselves to be effective, while getting a hair transplant is another common fix. Otherwise, there are various shampoos and other products which have various levels of effectiveness.
Alternatively, you could bite the bullet and go for the shaved head or close crop look. This is certainly the preferable option to the comb-over! Perhaps you could grow a beard to draw attention back to your face. Ultimately, it is all about making the best of something that you can’t control, and, over time, it will become less and less of a concern.
Your Job
In a lot of western societies, the male identity is often very closely associated with the job that you have. After all, ‘what do you do?’ is a standard opening gambit at most dinner parties. Ultimately, job satisfaction is all about being happy in yourself with this part of your life, not just feeling like you have to conform to societal expectations. It can also be liberating to remember that you have so much more to offer as a person than what you do between the hours of 9 and 5 every day.
The thing about your career is that you should never feel trapped and that you can’t make a change, no matter what age you are at. Separating your own desires from what other people expect of you can be very challenging, but it is something that is always worth doing in the long-run. This way, you can take pleasure in the fact that you are doing something that you are truly passionate about.
These four insecurities are just four of the most common ones that men suffer from, but hopefully, you now feel at least a little more confident to tackle them head-on.
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