New millennium women play a wide range of roles in one day. Personal chef, frugal housekeeper, office executive, loving caretaker, funny girlfriend, nurturing mother, and many others are just a few of these roles. This can be true for men as well. They juggle a lot of tasks and responsibilities in life. However, it seems that women’s multiple responsibilities often leave them stressed out, and it can take a toll on their health.
Women might neglect their personal needs to serve others. They might also treat stressors using self-sabotaging activities. How many times have you heard of a woman eating a pint of ice cream to relax? Or, perhaps women might feel as if they must have a glass of wine — or three — after a long day.
For women treating stress in those manners, it is not surprising that overeating or drinking can spiral out of control. Non 12-step rehab treatment facilities across the United States and around the world have helped countless women address their alcohol abuse. Such assistance helps women realize that the seemingly innocent habits they use to help them unwind from stress can only create more stress. And of course, we now know that stress can cause neck pain and a lot of other ailments in the body.
Stress is not entirely bad. Stress can motivate a person to take action. The body has a natural response to stress that is ingrained in humans. It is normal for the brain and body to react in moments of stress.
The brain and body often recognize stressors as potential dangers. This recognition can make the brain and body very alert and ready to fight such stressful threats. This condition is known as the fight-or-flight response.
However, too much stress can overload the brain and body. It is now known that long-term stress has an impact on a person’s health. The physical ramifications of stress can include serious health hazards. The U.S. Department of Women’s Health reports that women commonly experience physical symptoms of stress, symptoms that may include
- High blood pressure
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Irregular heartbeat
- Body aches (i.e., back pain, headaches, stomach cramps)
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
These physical ailments can impact how women function day-to-day. Sadly enough, these symptoms and other circumstances can also contribute to additional worry and stress for women.
Dealing with chronic tension headaches will only make a person’s busy days worse. Serious health problems, such as high blood or other cardiovascular complications, may require constant monitoring. Adding regular doctor visits to an already packed schedule can cause extra stress. Additionally, turning to alcohol and drugs to cope with stress will do more harm than good in the long run.
Getting a handle on how to cope with stress can have its trials and errors. There are good stress relievers that can help, however. Some quick tips for dealing with stress and anxiety include yoga, breathing exercises, and painting, or fun physical activities, such as dancing or wall climbing. Such activities can prevent stress while you are trying to destress. You should also deal with back and neck pain to prevent it causing stress, and this can be helped by looking at 5 ways to get rid of neck pain.
