An online survey done by Cleveland Clinic to look at how the coronavirus outbreak has affected men found that of the 1,000 participants (all were 18 or older), 77 percent of respondents said their stress levels are higher now than before 2020, and about 45 percent reported declining emotional and mental health. Fifty-nine percent said the pandemic felt more troubling to them than the last major recession. RELATED: Top Self-Care Tips for Taking Care of You During the Coronavirus Pandemic As they’ve navigated through the pandemic, some men have found self-care to be more important than ever. Here’s what three dads say about how they managed and what lessons they’ll hold on to for the years ahead. Then his wife got COVID-19 and he had to switch gears into being a solo caregiver for son Theo, age 7, and daughter Alexis, age 5. Just as he began to adjust, he got furloughed. “In a situation like that, where you don’t know when things will end — whether my wife will get better, whether my job will come back, how bad the virus will get — it’s really tough,” he says. “It’s depressing. I tried to stay busy, but there’s only so many chores you can do every day.” On top of all that, he was hearing from relatives and friends in California about attacks on Asian Americans. Whenever he had to go downtown or shopping, he started to feel unsafe, to the point that he’d constantly be making sure he knew where the exits were in case he had to run. RELATED: What’s Driving the Surge in Anti-Asian Crimes, and How Can We Help the Victims? “As Asian Americans, we’re worried for people we love, and also for our kids and ourselves; it’s a terrible feeling,” he says. “So, I made sure to communicate with my wife about how I was feeling about all of this, and we started talking to a counselor together.” An outcome of those sessions was learning effective ways to give and receive love from one another, and that felt like a turning point for Sanchez. They made simple changes — like using more words of affirmation — and were more aware about supporting one another, he adds. “That was probably the biggest thing I learned this past year: how to ask for help,” he says. “Not even in huge ways, either. For example, I try to get my daughter ready in the morning, but I’m terrible at pigtails. So, I ask my wife to do them. Even something that small makes us feel like we’re working together as a team, it’s a little win. And when you have those little wins all day, they add up.” Earlier versions of this article incorrectly stated Wills’s name and company name. His full name is Mike Wills Jr., and his company is Paint and Sip Live. An earlier version of this article also incorrectly stated Sanchez’s occupation. He is a real estate investor and personal finance blogger. Everyday Health regrets the errors.
