Women's Stress and How To Cope
Women are amazing. Truly, we are. We create life, we provide connection, comfort and family well being. There is a downside to our awesomeness: the lifestyle of being a mom can include increased stress in our life.
Significant life stress usually starts with pregnancy – we carry our babies inside us and we give up our nutritional needs for those of our babies. We give birth (and that's a very powerful day, indeed!) We endure sleepless nights, the physical demands of breastfeeding and bottlefeeding, carrying and caring for our babies. We deal with the terrible twos, preschool, and transition to school life. Homework, volleyball and band camp. The stresses of puberty rock our homes. We attend parent teacher conferences, and don't get me started on new math. We teach our kids to drive and at some point, our aging parents need us to care for them, too.
If we choose to work outside the home, we juggle job demands, traffic stress, difficult bosses and the needs of our clients. We fight traffic home to cook and care for our families, and if there is stress at home, well, we deal with that, too.
There is a cost to being a girl: our bodies don’t handle the negative effects of stress as easily as men. Women don’t typically have heart attacks, we develop health conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome which are VERY hard to cure… especially when life stress is the reason they occur in the first place. As a stressed out woman, here are my top three suggestions of ways to decrease your life stress and improve your life:
Turn off your electronics and reconnect with yourself and your family
Screen time is robbing us of our lives, and electromagnetic radiation causes physical stress in our bodies. Our phones, ipads, televisions, computer screens and playstations can actually create stress and lead to electronic addition. Why don’t you just put down your phone, turn off your TV and do an activity that brings you joy instead?
Get adjusted regularly
Chiropractors can really help to get your body moving more easily. We can decrease the physical stress that you feel in your body. Many people find that they sleep better when they are adjusted regularly because they are more comfortable when they lie in bed. Adjustments help improve body posture and alignment. You just move better.
See a naturopath
Very often, stressed out moms have gut issues. You don't digest your food well, and you don't absorb the nutrients of the foods that you eat. You have excess gas and you are sick oftern Naturopaths are fabulous at figuring out how to help when you have a gut imbalance.
Make time for fun
Reserve one hour a week just for yourself, get out of the house and do something you love to do: go for coffee with a friend, read a great book at a coffee shop, take a class, or have a massage. Go swimming, to the library or for a walk in the sun. Book it on your calendar every week and make yourself a priority.
If you have little ones, book grandma time so that you can get away. Swap one hour sessions with a friend and help each other with childcare as you get a bit of me time.
Get outside for 30 minutes a day
We need sunshine to make Vitamin D. Fresh air clears our lungs and our minds. Walking, gardening or having fun with our kids gets our bodies moving, our hearts pumping and creates all kinds of endorphins which enhance our mood and decrease stress.
Women’s stress is a very real concern for ourselves and our community. It is time that as women, we give ourselves permission to simply enjoy the most out of the life that we have. Our stress levels will decrease by finding ways to have fun, and making our needs a priority.
If your health is a concern to you, please see your medical doctor, chiropractor or naturopath. We serve to help you live a healthy, happy, active life, and we are here to help if you need it.
Dr. Melanie Beingessner is a pregnancy and pediatric-focussed chiropractor, a breastfeeding counselor, an infant massage instructor and a mom of three awesome kids.