Why women need to learn how to handle stress...

A survey of over 26,000 Australian professionals shows that over a quarter of women experience chronic stress symptoms as opposed to less than an eighth of men.

The study by Springfox, a workforce trainer in resilience, also shows women are more susceptible to feeling distressed, vulnerable and withdrawn at work, despite scoring higher on EQ factors than their male counterparts.

Some of the reasons for this are:

• women are usually the primary caregiver in the family AND workforce.
• Women tend to prefer harmony with colleagues and will put a lot of energy into keeping relationships on an even keel.
• 82% of Australian single parent families are headed by women.
• Women tend to put everyone but themselves at the top of the list, so true emotional and mental self-care may be limited by time and other factors.
• Women tend to feel guilty if they ask for their own needs to be met.
• Women tend to be more empathic and nurturing than men.
• Sleep deprivation, poor nutrition and little or no real relaxation or reflective "me" time severely impacts on stress levels in the body.
• These symptoms are often treated with short term numbing tactics such as overeating, over drinking and over medicating which create other problems over time.
• As children leave the home, women start to reevaluate their lives and may start thinking about where to from here, what about me etc

So what's the answer?

Learning to be more resilient by: 

• Creating stronger boundaries
• Prioritising tasks and don't make long "to-do"lists as these drain your "can do attitude". Make a list of no more than 5 things to do and stick to it.
• Block "Me-time" in your diary and stick to it.
• Go to bed 30-60 minutes earlier that usual at least 3-4 times a week.
• Let go of binge eating, drinking, netflix or any other thing you do , especially at the end of a busy day
• Try binging on sleeping, deep breathing, relaxation and clearing the mind of its worries and anxieties instead
• Be gentle with yourself - you are always doing the best you can
• Don't multitask - it stresses the mind and activates chemicals in the body that create stress.
• Learn to say no to those interruptions that take you away from fulfilling your priorities unless it truly is a matter of life and death.
• Keep your sense of humour and silliness with you at all times. Stress can be elevated by being too serious. Laughter releases stress.
• Keep the line between home and work clear. Use your commuting time to switch off and clear your head space.

Did you know you can choose and program your underlying mindset for the day?

Literally by tapping on the sternum the word of the emotional state you want to feel. e.g. focused, happy, productive etc Do this first thing in the morning in the shower and check in at different times of the day to see if your mindset is still aligned or if it needs an adjustment. You'll be amazed at how often this works once your body gets used to the messaging.

Melody R. Green is a Energy Tuner, Soul Coach for Women in Career or Life Transition and Award-winning Author of  The Your Career Sweet Spot Course. Melody assists others to connect to their Soul Path and bring more joy, clarity, connection and creativity into their lives.