Feel like the stress of going through a divorce is slowly killing you? Turns out, not getting a divorce may be even worse for your health. A new study has found that the risk of premature death in men is increased by a stressful marriage.
A recent Danish study tracked the health of participants – ages 36 to 52 – from 2000 to 2011. Men and women were surveyed about the most stressful people and situations in their lives and asked if there were people who demanded too much of them, worried them, or if there were people they experienced conflicts with on a regular basis. By the end of the 11-year study and based on the mortality rates of the participants, researchers discovered that a man’s risk of death increases when he’s in a stressful marriage.
Worries and demands from other family members, friends, and neighbors were not associated with higher mortality risk, but worries and demands from a female partner made men particularly vulnerable. Are men silent about their stress? Are they too reluctant to seek emotional support or voice their concerns about their relationship and what’s going on within it? The authors of the study suggested that honing conflict management skills could help curb premature deaths associated with relationship stressors.
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While an exercise regimen, a healthy hobby, relying on spirituality or faith, visualization, and simply talking to a professional can all help combat stress, sometimes, the right answer is simply to get a divorce. Ignoring problems in a relationship, dwelling on the negative, eating your feelings, or turning to drinking or substance abuse are the worst ways to cope with stress – no doubt all adding to the increased mortality risk while also taking a toll on children and, ultimately, leading to the demise of a marriage anyway.
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Marriage isn’t always easy, and neither is divorce, but when it seems that the lesser of two evils is to bring your union to an end, contact Michigan Divorce Help in Mt. Clemens, MI, to schedule your no-cost and get the divorce advice and help you need.