Men who stifle their anger at work are at a greater risk for heart attack; so says a recent study out of Stockholm, Sweden. Men who consistently failed to express their resentments over conflicts with a fellow worker or supervisor were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease. And ignoring an ongoing work-related conflict was associated with a tripled risk of heart attack or coronary death, the study of almost 2,800 Swedish working men found.
Coping styles may play a big part in the physiological outcomes, as women did not show a risk of heart related disorders when stressed at work. Maybe men need to consider pedicures. Check it: Women in general appear to handle stressful situations better than men, noted Dr. Bruce S. Rabin, director of the Healthy Lifestyle Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“Social interaction, having people to talk to, is extremely important,” Rabin said. “If you keep things to yourself, you have high levels of stress hormones. Women are more comfortable in social interactions than men. They talk more, while men tend to keep within themselves.”
So men…let it out! You can’t scream at work, but you can certainly bring your frustrations home with you…and talk about them. Yes, talk…Find a friend, like your pitbull, Killer, maybe, and talk to him. Let him know how you’re feeling. Let him know that you’d love to feed him your boss’ appendages…starting with Mr. Douche’s third leg. You might not be able to actually do it in this lifetime, but just saying it helps. I know, I do it all the time.
How about a punching bag with your asswipe coworker’s headshot on it? I’ve seen video of one friend at the gun range with a picture of a sworn enemy’s face on the target–quite effective, I tell ya. Lastly, you can try a friendly game of Grand Theft Auto. I find the virtual beat-the-crap outta anyone and everyone enormously gratifying. Let it out, man. It’s for your heart health, dammit.
