Coping with Puberty
Remember that puberty is normal. You will experience physical and emotional changes that might seem surprising to you. Don’t blame yourself if you begin to have emotions that you are uncomfortable with. These are normal; everyone goes through them, just at different times. Some males can begin puberty before they turn 9, others around 12. It is normal to experience it at different times, but you’ll normally experience when you’re around 11.
Prepare for your body to grow. This is the period in which you are likely to grow the most rapidly. Expect your body, however, to have difficulty timing your eating habits with your growth patterns. It is common to go back and forth from being a bit pudgy to being stick thin, or anywhere in between. Your body will take some time to adapt to its changing shape. Expect to buy new clothes frequently. Buying clothes that are a bit baggier might save you some trips to the mall. Your appetite will also pick up in ways that will surprise you. To support your growth you want to consume a lot of protein, calcium, folate, and zinc. Try to eat lean meats, beans, seafood, milk, cheese, yogurt, spinach, oranges, and whole wheat breads. Protein will also help encourage the muscle growth that you have begun to experience. You will also experience some changes to your genitals. Your penis will grow longer and your testicles will grow and begin to hang lower.
Expect emotional changes. Puberty unleashes hormones that make your emotions stronger, but also more erratic. You can go from being ecstatic to depressed for no real reason. The most important thing is to remember that this is normal. Reach out for help when you need to. Expressing yourself can be a good way to get these emotions out and find some peace. Take up music, drawing, painting, or writing. Get a journal. Use your feelings as motivation to develop yourself. You can also talk to people about your feelings. Adults and friends can be a good source of guidance. Talk to your parents, school counselor, or doctor. Seek professional help if you experience emotional distress for weeks or months at a time. Exercise can reduce stress.
Be prepared for a new interest in sex. In a short period of time, you might transition from having no interest in sex, to thinking about it all the time. That is normal. It is also the case that some of the things we associate with sex are inevitable biological functions that really have little to do with arousal. Erections, for example, can occur because of temperature changes; it isn’t necessarily the case that you are aroused when you get one. Similarly, nocturnal emissions also occur naturally when one is asleep. If you are uncomfortable with your feelings, try talking to someone older. Be cautious when entering into romantic relationships because you don't yet have a good grasp on your needs and feelings. Most adolescents want companionship, but many confuse that with sex. Wet dreams, also known as nocturnal emissions, can be particularly embarrassing. Don't worry; you have not peed the bed. You have ejaculated and this is your body's way of telling you that you are physically prepared to reproduce, much as periods do for females. Almost all males experience nocturnal emissions at some point.
Practice good hygiene. One effect of puberty is that you will begin to sweat more. You will start to smell worse, quicker. With oily skin, you are also likely to develop pimples. To prevent this, bathe or shower daily, paying close attention to cleaning all parts of your body. To prevent pimples, refrain from squeezing or scratching zits, using greasy hair products, and exposing yourself to intense sunlight. Use non-oily sunblock to protect yourself from the sun. If you develop pimples, the drug store has many over-the-counter products to help eliminate them. If these don’t work, go to a dermatologist; she can prescribe something stronger. Your hormones will cause you to sweat and smell more than you are accustomed to. That is natural. It is not your fault. However, you can try to manage it by showering regularly, cleaning under your armpits, and using deodorant.
Begin shaving. You might find that you begin growing a beard or at least new body hair under your armpits or in your pubic area. At some point you will need to begin trimming and/or shaving this; even a good beard needs to be maintained. Consider starting out with an electric razor, because these will not cut you. If you can, have an adult teach you out to use a manual razor. Don't be afraid of your new hair. It is a natural part of becoming an adult.
Look forward to your voice breaking. As you grow, your vocal cords will begin to grow as well. Sometimes your voice will begin to give out and will crack into a high-pitched sound. Don’t worry, in a few months this will stop and you will have a new, deeper, more grown-up voice.
Take pride. You will experience some discomfort, but it is just a step toward being an adult. Everyone you know, including the people you look up to, has been through this at one point in time. Recognize that your struggles are the first step toward becoming a new person. Make a list of things that you like about yourself and think about them anytime you are having doubts about your body. Surround yourself with positivity. Socialize with people who are positive. Consider avoiding people who talk about body issues all time. Avoid magazines and TV shows that focus on unrealistic standards of beauty. Exercise and eat well to keep yourself in good physical condition.
Coping with Old Age
Adapt your lifestyle to prevent impotence. Approximately 10% of males 40-70 suffer from severe erectile dysfunction (ED) and another 25% suffer from moderate erectile issues. By 70, 49% of males experience moderate to severe ED. In the vast majority of cases, however, it is the result of preventable lifestyle choices. Sedentary behavior, smoking, alcohol consumption, and uncontrolled diabetes are major contributors to ED. Sometimes medications like SSRIs or benzodiazepines could also cause ED, and you may need to decrease your dosage or stop using the medication to resolve it. Heart disease is also a major contributing factor. You should try to increase your ratio of “good” HDL cholesterol to “bad” LDL cholesterol. Lose weight, exercise, more and replace saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats like those in olive, peanut, and canola oil. Eat more nuts and fish, cut down on butter and cheese. Eliminate trans fats altogether. If you are still having issues with ED, talk to your doctor about medications that can improve your situation.
Practice resistance training. Sarcopenia is a condition that makes it more difficult to both develop and retain muscle. Typically, males begin to experience this condition (and hence lose muscle) around the time that they turn 30 and it declines significantly once you turn 60. This muscle loss, however, can be slowed or halted with resistance training. Use weights, or bodyweight exercises (like push-ups) that require you to strain your muscles to exhaustion. Try to progressively increase the amount of weight that you are using.
Prepare for baldness. About 3 out of 10 males show significant signs of balding by 30 and over half of men experience significant balding by 50. Typically, it is a slow process, that progresses steadily for a period of 15-25 years. There is no medical risk associated with balding and many people adapt to balding with simple stylistic changes, like shaving their heads or wearing wigs. Alternatively there are two medications, Finasteride and Minoxidil, which are known to either slow or reverse the process of balding. However, if you discontinue treatment the process of balding will resume rapidly. There are also scalp surgeries that can disguise balding, however, they are expensive and results vary. The most traditional option is to cover your head. Wigs can be used to create the appearance of hair, but they are often unconvincing. Hats can disguise the effects of balding without making it seem as if you are trying to trick anyone.
Deal with wrinkles. Everyone experiences wrinkling skin as they age. This is inevitable, but it can be slowed. Sun is a major contributor to aging, so stay out of the sun for extended periods of time, or wear sunscreen when you are out. Beards can also help to protect your face from the elements. Refrain from washing your face more than once a day and apply moisturizer frequently to keep your face hydrated. Dietary changes that you can make to reduce wrinkles include, eating more soy, fish, chocolate, fruits, and vegetables. Similarly, you should cut out smoking. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing. More sleep will also help. Evidence suggests that sleeping on your back is particularly helpful for slowing the signs of aging.
Remember it is natural. Growing old is as inevitable as becoming an adult once was. Nor is it all bad. Men are often considered more attractive as they experience some of the signs of aging. One recent study found that men were considered to be most attractive at 34. Furthermore, age is often correlated to other fulfilling life developments. For example, the average man continues to earn more income per year until the age of 48. With greater wealth, emotional wisdom, and closer family connections, happiness tends to increase as we age. On average our happiness drops precipitously from 21 to 25. That process slows down until happiness starts to increase again by around 50. From 50 on, we grow progressively happier, ultimately happier than we were at the beginning of our adulthood.
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