It has often been shown that women are the worriers and often do not make time to manage their health and take care of themselves. The infographic below shows what effects stress can have on women and offers effective strategies that can help them reduce the negative effects of everyday stresses. You can recognize the signs of stress and what you can do to combat it.
Why are women stressed?
Womens are more stressed than men
Women report feeling higher levels of stress.
Average stress levels rated on a 10 point scale.
Average score of men is 4.6 out of 10.
Average score of women is 5.3 out of 10..
How does stress effect women?
Stress can lead to these health effects.
Increase risk of heart disease and stroke
Women who experienced high levels of stress were 40% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Heart disease is the #1 cause for death in women in the United States.
Hair Loss
Significant emotion or psychological stress can cause a physiological imbalance leading to hair loss.
Poor digestion
Prolonged stress can increase stomach acid, causing indigestion and discomfort and in some cause IBS and ulcers.
Depression
Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression. Extreme stress can be a trigger for depression.
Irregular periods
Stress can alter body’s hormone balance which can lead to misses late or irregular periods.
Reduced Sex Drive
Major life change that cause stress can lower libido. Elevated Levels of cortisol suppress the body’s natural sex hormones.
Acne Breakouts
Raised cortisol can cause excess oil production leading to more breakouts
Weight Gain
High levels of cortisol are linked to more weight around the belly are and decreased metabolism
Insomnia
Stress is a common cause of insomnia. Tossing and turning at night can lead to many sleepless nights.
How can you combat stress?
Try this exercise to relax your mind and re-energize.
This infographic was brought to you by HeartMath.org
Step One: Practice heart focused breathing
Imagine you are breathing through your heart or chest area. Putting your attention here helps you center yourself and get coherent. You would be suggested to inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds or whatever is comfortable.
Step Two: Active a positive feeling
Recall how it felt when you are appreciated or when you felt appreciation for something or someone. Or you can focus on a calm neutral feeling, like observing a beautiful nature.
Practice step one and two for 5 minutes or so and see how you feel. This is called “Quick coherence technique” is especially useful; when you start to feel stress. Practice using it as soon as you start feel stressful emotions to keep them from escalating into something worse.
