June 24, 2024
Events | Mental Health
In the relentless pursuit of “having it all,” women today find themselves shouldering an immense burden—one that often goes unnoticed and unaddressed. The pressure to excel in careers, maintain a picture-perfect home, nurture relationships, and still find time for self-care has created a perfect storm of stress. This phenomenon isn’t just taxing; it’s a silent epidemic that deeply affects women’s mental, physical, and relational health.
According to the American Psychological Association, women consistently report higher levels of stress than men. This is true in most areas of a woman’s life:
Work
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that women have higher work-related stress. This is attributed to the unique stressors women in the work force face, such as gender discrimination, unequal pay, and the pressure to balance career and family responsibilities.
Family
The Pew Research Center found that women experience almost 20% more stress than men when it relates to the demands of parenting.
Psychologically
Women are almost twice as likely than men to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Physiologically
Increase stress results in triggering of hormones that can lead to elevated blood pressure, compromised immune function, headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, and even an increase risk of heart disease.
So, how can we begin to address this crisis? Many of us know the “right” answers to this question: setting boundaries, effective communication, setting realistic expectations, etc. The challenge isn’t as much knowing what will help; it’s knowing how to implement the changes we know we must take if we want to begin to find freedom from the hamster wheel of stress so many of us find ourselves on.
The Practical Tools for Busy Women panel event on July 11th intends to address the how that we all struggle to conceptualize. Together Amy Narusas, LCSW, Natalie Durda, LCSW, and Elise Scott, MD (all busy women themselves!) will provide practical solutions and tools women can utilize to reclaim balance.