Stress can affect women in so many different ways, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to identify your symptoms and try to ease them. If you feel things are too much, then it’s always best to see a doctor. Here are 19 things all women do when stressed.
Experience Physical Symptoms
There can be so many physical symptoms a woman may experience when stressed. The Cleveland Clinic tells us some of the most common physical symptoms include headaches, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, and back and neck pain. You may also experience changes in eating habits or sleep too much.
Show Emotional Responses
There are also emotional responses that come with stress. These can include anxiety, depression, anger, and irritability. A woman can experience many mood swings and levels of frustration when she’s stressed. Just like physical symptoms, they can have a huge impact on a person’s everyday life.
Suffer from Mental Effects
Stress has many mental symptoms. A woman may find that she’s more forgetful, possibly forgetting recent conversations she’s had. She can also feel high levels of worry and struggle when it comes to making decisions. Another mental symptom includes thinking negatively, and this is when anxiety and depression can start to happen.
Occupational Challenges
When feeling stressed, a woman may start to feel unfulfilled in her job, especially if this is what originally started the stress. Otherwise, she can start to feel unfulfilled in her role if she feels her employer isn’t being supportive when it comes to her well-being. She may also find that her concentration is poor.
Encounter Social Issues
Feelings of stress can reduce intimacy in relationships, both physically and emotionally. It can also cut a woman off from her friends, causing social isolation, as she doesn’t feel up to going out. These feelings of loneliness can create family and relationship problems and may even cause arguments, adding more stress.
Question Spiritual Well-being
ScienceDirect writes, “Spiritual health and mental health are closely related, and patients with higher spiritual health suffer from less stress, anxiety, and depression.” As a woman questions her spiritual health, she may start to experience apathy and a loss of meaning when it comes to life.
Develop Skin Problems
Many skin issues can arise from stress. This can include rashes, itching, hives, acne, and eczema. A woman may notice a change in the appearance of her skin and texture. These problems can often be resolved with over-the-counter medications; otherwise, you may need to see the doctor.
Experience Digestive Problems
Digestive issues can come in the form of heartburn, stomach pain, and nausea. A woman may also experience changes in bowel movements and experience issues such as constipation or diarrhea. Stress can even lead to developments in health conditions such as IBS.
Have Respiratory and Cardiovascular Changes
Too much stress can affect respiration rates, as the stress hormones that are released often cause the heart to beat faster and blood vessels to dilate. This can result in difficulty breathing and may cause constant sighing. It’s something that can cause potential heart problems and should be carefully monitored.
Feel Muscle Tension and Pain
It’s common for women to feel muscle tension in the shoulders, neck, and back. This is supported by the APA, which writes, “When the body is stressed, muscles tense up. Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress—the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain.”
Notice Changes in Sexual Health
Stress can seriously affect a woman’s sexual health. She may notice a decreased libido and even sexual dysfunction. Sometimes, there can be irregularities in the menstrual cycle and an increased risk of fertility issues. These symptoms can add even more stress to a woman as she starts to question her body.
Experience Weight Fluctuations
Weight fluctuations are common in women who are stressed; for example, they may comfort eat or have no appetite at all. This can cause their weight to go up and down, which is never healthy. Sometimes it can even lead to a woman becoming underweight or obese, both of which have their own health implications.
Emotional Eating
One of the main things that can cause weight fluctuations is emotional eating. Women will often turn to food as a method of comfort. They may then experience feelings of guilt or shame after going on a binge. Fluctuations in appetite and cravings can cause unhealthy eating habits.
Show Nervous Habits
Nervous habits include fidgeting, tapping feet, or nail biting. It’s a sign of restlessness and often occurs because a person is unable to relax. Sometimes, these are compulsive and repetitive behaviors that a person won’t even notice they’re doing, and they can be easier to control when a loved one points them out.
Struggle with Mental Health Disorders
This doesn’t just involve anxiety and depression. Stress can create many other mental health disorders. For example, there’s an increased risk of developing panic disorders and OCD. Emotional distress can lead to a variety of feelings that affect mental health and professional help should always be sought if they become too much.
Display Behavioral Changes
Stress can result in numerous behavioral changes. Lake Behavioral Hospital tells us these include a lack of interest in activities, impulsive behavior, and decreased productivity. A woman could also take less pride in her appearance and notice changes in her sleep pattern.
Experience Cognitive Impairments
Processing information or having difficulty concentrating can be signals that a woman is stressed. These impairments can lead to memory loss and disorganization, which will further stress a person. Stress can even have an effect on problem-solving skills, which can involve not knowing what to do to relax.
Suffer from Emotional Exhaustion
A feeling of being drained or depleted of emotional resources may show that a woman is feeling stressed. This can include her having a lack of motivation and enthusiasm. A woman may feel emotionally numb and not know how to respond to the events that are unraveling in her life.
Professional and Academic Setbacks
If a woman is stressed, it can affect her professionally or academically. This is because her productivity may decrease or she may find challenges in maintaining her responsibilities at work. She can face difficulties when it comes to learning new tasks or retaining information.
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