Anxiety: Living On Edge

Anxiety is a natural alarm system... it alerts you to danger and keeps you on your toes but when that alarm never stops, or starts blasting over harmless things, it quickly stops helping and starts hurting. In Australia, over 12% of men aged 16 and over experience anxiety disorders within any given year, with the rate for young guys (16–24) nearly 21%.

That makes anxiety the most common mental health issue we face . It's often the first mental health condition men encounter and, if left untreated, it can spiral into depression or even suicidal thoughts.

Signs You’re Not Just ‘Overthinking’ It

Anxiety shows up not just in your head... it messes with your body and emotions too. Here's some signals to look out for:

Physical Indicators: Heart racing, sweaty palms, muscle tension, headaches, stomach issues, & shortness of breath.

Mental/Emotional Indicators: Constant worry, irritability, feeling on edge, trouble sleeping or focusing, & outright panic at small triggers.

Why Men Often Feel Stuck In The Trap

Gendered stress: Masculine norms push us to be stoic and invulnerable. Admitting anxiety feels like failure .

Avoidance: We avoid uncomfortable feelings... and those feelings grow stronger. The longer we suppress, the deeper the spiral .

Help-seeking Differences: Only about 35–40% of blokes with mental health issues see a psychologist, even though nearly half reach out to general practitioners . Need help? Don't be afraid to go get it.

How to Get Off the Anxiety Treadmill

Recognise it: Anxiety is not weakness... it's your brain signalling you need a reset.

Rationalise it: CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) helps you reframe thoughts that are getting out of hand. Stuff like changing “I’ll totally fuck this up" to “I’ll do my best and that's okay".

Lifestyle Tune-Ups: Regular exercise, sleep, and avoiding caffeine & cigarettes all reduce anxiety, sometimes as effectively as meds .

Mindfulness/Meditation: Slowing down your brain’s autopilot reduces dwelling on the head noise and helps take back control of your thoughts.

The Boys: Opening up to a mate or joining a support group is really does help. Isolation is fuel for anxiety (and all the other problems we face).

Medication: For moderate to severe cases, a doctor can assess whether a combination of therapy and medication is right for you. Plenty of blokes swear they made all the difference and it's worth looking into with your GP.

You Don’t Have to Tough It Out Alone

Right now, you’re not alone. Anxiety has nothing to do with weakness and is really just a natural response that might be firing off not exactly at the right time. The earlier you tackle it, the easier it is to break free. Lean on mates, open up, get the tools, and don’t hesitate to ask for help.

If anxiety feels unmanageable, or you've read this and not sure where to start, seeking professional support is a solid step in the right direction. Doctors or therapists can provide tools and techniques tailored to your specific situation.