Women & Stress

Women experience more stress in today's society than ever before. There are many reasons why this has occurred, each individual having an individual experience and method of coping.

Symptoms Of Stress

Stress can manifest in many ways. Often sleep patterns can become disturbed and the results of this can lead to poor concentration, a lack of energy and motivation and headaches. It is common for the appetite to become decreased and gastric disturbances are also quite common.

The mental aspects of health can also become affected and the person may feel sad, down, emit negativity and become irritable and agitated quite easily.These are just a few of the many symptoms that can occur as a consequence of stress. Each individual will present with different signs of stress.

The Work Life Balance

For a lot of women, working is a necessity for maintaining their own intellect, independence and stimulation. For others it is something that has to be done. There are few households that can now function on just one wage so both parents must work or the single parent if that is the case.

The pressure to bring in a wage and run a family home and look after the children can be very difficult and with expensive childcare costs this is becoming even more difficult. When possible a good reliable child minder, family member or nursery can be extremely valuable.Always make sure you know what your rights and entitlements are regarding flexible working and financial benefits and entitlements.

How Women Cope With Stress

It is now a proven fact that women cope with their stress better than men and are often more productive about resolving their stress or using it to their advantage.

Women are more likely to admit they are suffering from stress or are feeling slightly over burdened and will seek help from friends and other members in an attempt to clarify the situation and resolve any problems. They are also more likely to become protective over their children and family during these times. This is thought to be related to chemical releases in the body that are different to those in men.

Coping With Stress The Negative Way

Many women turn to alcohol and nicotine to help them manage their stress. Apart form the health risks that they are putting on both themselves and those around them , there is a high level of financial implication with these habits. For many financial problems are the cause of the stress so to throw money away of tobacco or excessive amounts of alcohol will only serve to fuel the problem.

There are many nicotine replacement therapies available for those who want to give up smoking, many are less expensive that cigarettes whilst others are available on the NHS.Alcohol is a past time that should be enjoyed every now and then, not to be used as a crutch for dealing with stress.

The subject of stress is a very wide and varied topic and every woman will know when they are feeling stressed and will have a different threshold than other women. It is not how much stress that someone is experiencing that is important; it is more significant to find a productive and practical way of using that stress in a beneficial way or releasing it safely.