The unchallenged life is not worth living, I think. The real problems are when stressors are overwhelming or when it doesn t seem possible to respond to them. So people who are stressed who don t have many avenues of response to the stress are the ones who have the most trouble. They can t tolerate things they ought to be able to tolerate. And depression carries an increased risk for bad outcome from heart disease.
Depressed men don t do as well after a heart attack as undepressed men.
You have bad habits, like smoking, which people sometimes resort to, making the excuse that it s helping them manage stress. Alcohol is another big problem. It impairs their ability to respond. It also leads to other problems poor diet, poor exercise which carries its own risks as well. I think men are raised to focus on achievement and accomplishment.