While most people think gay men don’t have anything to worry about anymore – we’re in 2018, after all, and nobody should have problems expressing their sexuality openly – they couldn’t be more wrong. A gay person still has a lot to deal with on a daily basis, from snarky comments to open discrimination and everything in between. This results in a ton of piled-up stress that can be destroying you mentally and physically without you even realizing it, which is why lots of gay men are always looking for new ways to reduce their stress and stay sane. If you too are dealing with these issues, here are a few things you should do.
Define things that stress you out
Sometimes, it’s not just the misunderstanding gay people get from their environment that gives them a ton of stress – it’s so much more than that. Being constantly put down by everyone around you and having to deal with so many expectations could be harder than you think, and in order to remove that piled-up stress from your life, you have to identify its sources first.
Some of the things that could be causing stress include work-related issues, financial troubles, finding the perfect partner, as well as social media anxiety, especially if you feel threatened by someone’s success in life. Fortunately, all these things are easy to manage and you can eliminate them from your life easier than you think, but you have to make an effort and really work on your problems.
Focus on your well-being
Another thing most people don’t understand is that mental issues can seriously damage your physical health as well, which means that stress could be literally killing you and you might not even know it. Things like diabetes, obesity, asthma, high blood pressure, heart conditions, depression, anxiety and even Alzheimer’s disease are directly related to stress, and these are just some of the conditions gay men can expect in their near future.
However, if you manage to reclaim your inner peace, you’ll be able to prevent this from happening and actually save your own life. Yes, being under a pile of stress is something all gay men are used to by now, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up with it anymore. Instead, we should take matters into our hands and remove stress from our lives.
Yoga, meditation and regular massages
These are three of the most popular and effective ways to minimize your stress level, and no matter which idea you opt for, you’ll feel better than ever in just a couple of days. Yoga and meditation are also good for boosting your strength and your stamina, so these are definitely popular in the world of young gay men who want to remove stress from their lives, but also work on their bodies at the same time too.
Booking a massage is another great idea – being pampered and taken care of can make you feel special and better than ever, giving you a break you so desperately need. So, think about getting a great professional massage at least once a week, and you’ll be able to relax and feel better, both mentally and physically, sooner than you thought, forgetting all about being under stress.
Multiple minorities and their stress level
We can all agree that gay men are under a huge amount of stress, no matter where they live, what they do and how old they are, but things are even worse if those gay men are part of another minority group. When combined with racial issues millions around the world are struggling with as we speak, these problems can pile up and turn you into a ticking time bomb ready to explode.
Being a member of multiple minorities is probably the worst thing for your stress level, and that means you have to fight two battles at the same time. It also means you’re probably being alienated from your environment more than anyone else, facing discrimination from the member of your racial group because of your sexual preferences, and vice versa. Still, if you manage to regain your inner peace and find mechanisms that will help you keep your sanity intact, you’ll be able to defeat all the haters and be happy being just who you are.
Once you identify the sources of your stress and understand why it’s dangerous to let it pile up inside your body, it’s time to find ways to deal with it. Besides yoga, meditation and massages, you can also try talking to someone you can trust, joining the gym and boosting your mood by exercising, as well as changing your place of work if you find it too stressful – life’s too short to spend it that way, so just ditch your job and start doing something you actually love instead.
