How Women Can Manage Stress
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross B...
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kristyn Gregory, D.O.
Earning wages, managing schedules and a home and being a parent are roles that are each full-time jobs, but often women are responsible for all of them simultaneously.
Even when women work as much as men, women report doing a few more hours of housework and having a few less hours of leisure time each week, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Excelling at parenting, work and in other duties can take a toll, leaving women feeling more stressed and experiencing higher levels of anxiety disorders than men.
Here is a look at stress in women and how women can manage.
How women experience stress
Signs of chronic stress include:
- Irritability
- Changes in appetite
- Muscle tension and body aches
- Inability to sleep or excessive sleep
- Anxiety
Longterm stress is connected to worse physical and mental health outcomes such as:
- Migraines
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Suppressed immune system
- Heart disease
- Stroke
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Stress in American survey, women are more likely than men to report family responsibilities and relationships as causes of stress and said they would have liked more emotional support. Stress also lingered longer with women, as they reported less often than men they could get over stress quickly.
Women are twice as likely to deal with anxiety than men, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The National Sleep Foundation reports women are more likely to struggle falling and staying asleep than men and more likely to experience pain at night.
More than 39 million Americans deal with migraines, and 28 million of them – or72% – are women, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
Stress also depends on factors such as race. According to a study, Black women are more likely to have higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer compared to white woman.
Tips to manage stress
Practice self-compassion: No one can do everything, so don’t blame yourself for being human. Your self-worth does not depend on your achievements or service to others.
Learn to let go: The to-do lists never end. Learn to surrender to that and focus on what truly matters rather than trying to complete every task.
Say “no” when you can: Examine your schedule and see what you can drop entirely or leave for a later time.
Take time for yourself: It might be difficult to pull yourself away from your responsibilities, but putting your own oxygen mask on first is a saying we’re all familiar with. Taking time to rest and recover will help create a more sustainable life.
Ask for help: It takes a village. Talking to friends and family members who experience the same challenges and emotions can help. A therapist can dive more deeply into these difficulties, help work through the emotions and find solutions.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network can help members find an in-network mental health professional by calling behavioral health access lines listed below:
PPO: Behavioral Health Access Line | 1-800-762-2382
A free and confidential resource that’s just a call away when you need immediate support. Behavioral health professionals answer, 24/7.
HMO: Behavioral Health Access Line | 1-800-482-5982
Connect with a behavioral health clinician if you need help finding a mental health or substance use provider.
Behavioral health clinicians are available for routine assistance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For urgent concerns after hours, clinicians are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Learn more about mental health and options you have as a member to seek help at bcbsm.com/mentalhealth.
Image: Getty Images
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Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Patricia Ferguson, M.D.