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Estres Y Depresion
5 claves para la nueva normalidad
Spain
Tras meses confinados en nuestras casas debido a la pandemia del coronavirus, toca volver progresivamente a la rutina. Esta “normalidad” que vamos recuperando va acompañada de nuevos hábitos que dibujan una situación poco parecida a la que estábamos acostumbrados. El uso de mascarillas, las distancias sociales, las estrictas medidas de higiene, los aforos reducidos etc., son medidas necesarias de protección que en algunos casos pueden complicar el esfuerzo que ya de por sí muchas personas tienen que hacer para recuperar la actividad social.
Numerosos estudios coinciden en señalar que cerca del 75% de la población ha sufrido algún tipo de trastorno psicológico durante estos meses, siendo los más comunes cuadros de ansiedad, estrés y depresión. Los psicólogos advierten que estas afecciones pueden seguir dándose debido a las circunstancias altamente inciertas actuales y por tanto conviene tenerlas muy en cuenta para evitar que conlleven males mayores en nuestra salud mental. Para ello siempre será recomendable acudir a un especialista que te asesore si crees que puedes estar sufriendo alguno de estos síntomas.
En el artículo de hoy vamos a darte algunos consejos, basándonos en la opinión de los expertos, para que tu vuelta a la normalidad sea lo más fácil posible.
1. Paciencia y comprensión
Entender las circunstancias por las que estamos pasando es clave para la salud emocional. Una reacción común a este tipo de cuadros de ansiedad o estrés es sentirse culpable y tratar de esconder lo que te está ocurriendo, sin embargo esa estrategia no ayuda más que a empeorar la situación y prolongarla en el tiempo.
Estamos viviendo circunstancias difíciles que han afectado a nuestro ritmo de vida y nuestras relaciones sociales. Es una situación inédita en nuestras vidas, que han generado mucha incertidumbre y en muchos casos miedo ante lo que puede ocurrir.
Ante tales circunstancias, cada persona ha tenido una reacción emocional diferente, por lo que pretender aparentar normalidad en nuestra vuelta a la rutina no es sino negar que cada cual ha vivido un proceso diferente y tú también necesitas tu tiempo de adaptación.
2. Adaptación progresiva
Igual que cada persona ha llevado un proceso de recuperación de la actividad social diferente, no podemos exigirnos unos plazos estrictos a nosotros mismos. Ante una situación inédita, las respuestas deben ser flexibles y comprensivas.
Es posible que ahora te cueste llevar a cabo actividades que antes realizabas sin problema como puede ser ir al supermercado o sentarte en una terraza. No te obligues a hacerlo todo de golpe, recupera rutinas progresivamente, y si algunas de ellas te cuestan más, no te culpes, entiende que es una situación nueva y que poco a poco vas a ir retomando.
3. Metas cortas y al día
Para retomar de manera paulatina nuestros ritmos de vida anteriores a la pandemia, una clave puede ser ir programándote metas cortas para cada día. En tiempos de tal incertidumbre hacer planes a largo plazo puede ser frustrante y poco seguro. Conviene ir dando pequeños pasos cada día que te hagan sentirte bien y poco a poco te adaptes a la nueva situación. Encuentra motivaciones personales que te hagan más fácil cumplir con tus tareas.
4. Vida activa y saludable
Desde este blog siempre hemos recomendado seguir un estilo de vida activo y saludable, lo que implica una buena alimentación basada en alimentos naturales, variados evitando ultraprocesados y alimentos altos en azúcares; y actividad física diaria adaptada a las necesidades y capacidades de cada persona.
Recuperar estos buenos hábitos de vida nos ayudará a preparar no solo el cuerpo sino también la mente para enfrentar los retos que nos vienen por delante. Recuerda que la salud física y emocional están estrechamente ligadas.
5. Detectar y trabajar la ansiedad
Unos de los cuadros más comunes en la recuperación de la actividad social son los episodios de estrés o ansiedad que muchas personas están experimentando. La ansiedad es igual que el miedo, pero a una amenaza no presente sino futura, es decir anticipar una situación que se plantea como amenaza, y por tanto el cuerpo reacciona como si esta fuera real: aumento de las palpitaciones, aumento de la temperatura corporal, sudoración de manos y pies etc. No obstante los episodios de ansiedad no suelen durar más de 10 minutos, y si se sabe detectar, incluso menos.
Para ello es importante analizar la situación con perspectiva, valorando si el miedo es real y dando respuestas racionales ante un miedo que en la mayoría de casos de irracional. Además la ansiedad se provoca por un exceso de pensamientos previos, por lo que una buena técnica es no profundizar en estos pensamientos y actuar. No hay mejor manera de atacar tales pensamientos que demostrarles que no son reales y que puedes sobreponerte a ellos.
No obstante si crees que no puedes gestionar estas situaciones por ti mismo, no dudes en contactar con un especialista que te dará las claves para entender qué te está ocurriendo y cómo gestionar esa situación.
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In the UK, men on average die four to six years earlier than women. They also have a life expectancy of 79.1 years, are significantly less likely to attend routine health screenings, are more likely to delay seeking medical attention for concerning symptoms, and face higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and suicide.
The dietary patterns, movement habits, sleep, stress management, and relationship with healthcare that men establish can have a profound influence on health outcomes across the lifespan.
Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death in men in the UK, and men develop it on average ten years earlier than women. The protective effect of oestrogen that delays cardiovascular disease in premenopausal women does not apply to men, meaning that risk accumulates from earlier in adulthood.
The key modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease include:
high blood pressure
elevated LDL cholesterol
high triglycerides,
insulin resistance,
smoking
excess visceral adiposity
physical inactivity
chronic stress
poor sleep
alcohol use and diet quality
Most of these can be influenced by nutrition and lifestyle, meaning that the everyday choices men make have a significant and compounding effect on their long-term cardiovascular risk.
Dietary patterns most strongly associated with reduced cardiovascular risk include:
Mediterranean diet
diets rich in vegetables and fruit
wholegrains
legumes
olive oil
nuts
oily fish
Focus should fall on predominantly whole food dietary patterns that are balanced, high in fibre and low in saturated fats.
Specific nutrients with the strongest cardiovascular evidence include omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce triglycerides and inflammation, soluble fibre from oats, barley, chia seeds, legumes, certain vegetables and fruit, which reduces LDL cholesterol, potassium from vegetables and fruit, which supports healthy blood pressure, and extra virgin olive oil for its anti-inflammatory properties.
In the UK, men are encouraged to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol screenings from their forties onward, and earlier for those with a family history of cardiovascular disease. Many men have elevated cardiovascular risk markers like LDL cholesterol for years before any symptoms arise, making regular monitoring genuinely important rather than optional.
Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Health
Men are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes than women at equivalent body weights, partly due to the tendency of men to accumulate visceral fat (fat around the internal organs) rather than subcutaneous fat (fat beneath the skin).
Visceral adiposity is metabolically active and drives insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk in ways that subcutaneous fat does not to the same degree.
Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and in its early stages often reversible through dietary and lifestyle change. The evidence for dietary approaches to improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic health consistently points toward reducing refined carbohydrate and added sugar intake, increasing dietary fibre, eating regular meals with adequate protein, fibre and fat to moderate blood glucose response, and regular physical activity.
Waist circumference is a more informative marker of metabolic risk than body weight or BMI alone. A waist circumference above 94cm in men is associated with increased metabolic risk, and above 102cm with substantially elevated risk.
This is worth knowing not as a point of shame, but as a practical piece of health information that is easy to measure and track.
Dietary quality improvements, increased physical activity, and better sleep can all improve insulin sensitivity and reduce visceral fat independently of changes in overall body weight.
Prostate Health
According to Cancer Research, 1 in 6 men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. When detected early, it is one of the most survivable cancers and so regular screening is particularly important for men over 50 and men with a family history of prostate cancer or with Black African or Caribbean heritage.
In epidemiological research, those who consume diets rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon their red pigment, has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, though evidence is mixed.
Lycopene is significantly more bioavailable from cooked or processed tomatoes than raw, with tomato paste, passata, and canned tomatoes providing more absorbable lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
The overall dietary pattern matters more than any single nutrient. Higher vegetable, fruit and wholegrains intake, adequate zinc, and a predominantly whole food dietary pattern are associated with better prostate health outcomes. Diets high in processed meat and very high in saturated fat are associated with modestly increased risk in large prospective studies.
Testosterone and Hormonal Health
Testosterone levels in men decline gradually from the mid-thirties onward, with research suggesting an average decline of around 1 to 2% per year after age 40. This is a normal part of aging, but the trajectory and rate of decline are influenced by lifestyle factors, meaning that the choices men make in their thirties and forties meaningfully affect their hormonal health in their fifties and beyond.
Several nutritional and lifestyle factors are associated with better testosterone status. Adequate zinc intake is directly relevant: zinc is essential for testosterone synthesis, and deficiency is associated with reduced testosterone levels.
Good sources include shellfish, pumpkin seeds, and legumes. Adequate dietary fat intake, particularly from monounsaturated and saturated fat sources in moderate amounts, supports testosterone production, as testosterone is synthesised from cholesterol.
Vitamin D deficiency, which is widespread in the UK, is associated with lower testosterone levels so correcting any deficiency may improve testosterone status. Maintaining adequate vitamin D year-round through blood work to assess levels and supplementation when needed can therefore be relevant to hormonal health.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which directly suppresses testosterone production. This is one of several reasons why stress management is not separate from men's hormonal health but integral to it.
Sleep is equally relevant: testosterone is primarily produced during sleep, and research has found that even one week of sleeping five hours per night reduces testosterone levels by approximately 10 to 15% in young men, a reduction equivalent to ageing ten to fifteen years.
Sleep and Sleep Apnoea
Sleep affects testosterone, cardiovascular health, metabolic function, immune resilience, cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and physical recovery.
Sleep apnoea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, is significantly more common in men than in women, and is associated with fatigue, poor cognitive function, elevated cardiovascular risk, and reduced testosterone. It is frequently undiagnosed because the primary symptom is snoring combined with daytime sleepiness, which many men normalise. If you or your partner have noticed loud or irregular snoring combined with daytime fatigue, discussing this with a GP is worthwhile.
Seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night is the evidence-supported range for most adults. Consistent sleep and wake times, a cool dark bedroom, limiting alcohol, avoiding caffeine after midday, and managing stress are the most consistently evidence-supported sleep hygiene strategies.
Alcohol
Men in the UK drink more alcohol on average than women and are more likely to drink at hazardous or harmful levels. The NHS guidelines recommend no more than 14 units of alcohol per week spread across at least three days, with alcohol-free days each week.
Alcohol at higher intake levels is associated with liver disease, several cancers including colorectal and liver cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, depression, cognitive decline, impaired sleep, reduced testosterone, and reduced fertility.
The relationship between alcohol and health is not linear, and while low-level drinking has historically been associated with some cardiovascular benefits, more recent research applying Mendelian randomisation methods suggests that even moderate drinking carries some increased risk.
This is not about prohibition. It is about honest awareness that alcohol is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for serious health conditions in men, and that staying within recommended guidelines meaningfully reduces long-term risk.
Engaging With Healthcare
One of the most impactful things men can do for their long-term health is engage proactively with healthcare rather than reactively. This means attending NHS health checks when invited (available to those aged 40 to 74), discussing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose screening with a GP, being aware of bowel cancer screening (offered to those over 60 in the UK), having conversations about prostate health from the mid-forties onward for those with risk factors, and not dismissing symptoms or delaying seeking help when something feels wrong.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 49 afd is highly treatable when caught early. Regular self-examination and prompt reporting of any lumps or changes to a GP are important habits. Skin cancer rates are higher in men partly due to lower rates of sun protection, and regular skin checks for changing moles or lesions are worthwhile.
Mental Health
Men are less likely to seek help for depression and anxiety, less likely to discuss emotional difficulties with friends or family, and more likely to manage distress through avoidance, alcohol, or other external coping strategies rather than directly addressing the underlying issue. These patterns can have devastating consequences when unaddressed, and they are deeply connected to social norms around masculinity that equate emotional expression with weakness.
The most important message regarding men's mental health is to reach out. To your GP, to a therapist, to a trusted friend, to a helpline and to engage in psychological therapies like CBT and ACT for mental health support.
Closing Thoughts
Men's health is shaped by the accumulation of daily choices across decades: what is eaten, how much movement happens, how sleep is prioritised, how stress is managed, how much alcohol is consumed, and whether medical or mental health care is sought when needed.
None of these are binary or all-or-nothing. Small, consistent improvements in multiple areas compound meaningfully over time.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace the advice of a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional. If you're experiencing persistent or severe symptoms, please consult your healthcare provider.
Sources:
https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(23)00385-X/fulltexthttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6906176/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11958419/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076021000716?via%3Dihubhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8743653/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949789225000881https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.13257
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