By Barbara Pierce
You’re a woman. You worry. It’s what we do.
Whether it’s about the way we look, our job, our partner, our kids, our bills — there’s always a long list of things we have to worry about.
“Women must take care of everything. We take on everything,” said certified nurse coach Christina Henry, owner, Vessel: Bodhi, Mind, and Soul, Boonville. “We worry about our finances, children, partners, friendships, parents.”
“We want to fix everyone’s problems. We take on everyone’s problems,” she added.
It’s hard to pin down why women worry so much more than men. Some suggest that worry is an evolutionary trait. The strong female bond and concern about their children may help to protect infants and young children, allowing the species to thrive.
Other studies suggest that there may be a hormonal link to worry. Estrogen suddenly floods receptors in the brain around puberty, causing a surge of worry and anxiety.
Worry does appear to be wired into us as women. And we’re encouraged to be caretakers and nurturers. From a young age, we’ve been taught to put others’ needs before our own.
What impact does this have on our lives? When your body puts out stress hormones, this increases your risk of health conditions, including heart disease, anxiety disorders and depression.
Worrying can keep you awake at night, sap your emotional strength, make it difficult to concentrate, cause headaches, stomach problems maybe even make you irritable.
Minimizing the chronic worries and stresses of daily life as much as possible will support your overall health. Some things to consider to help limit your worries:
• Get active: Getting active, moving your body, will reduce stress and significantly improve depression. If you’re currently inactive, start with gentle activities such as walking or biking. Choose an activity that you enjoy to increase your chances of sticking to it. Gaming at สำรวจ ยูฟ่าเบท คาสิโนของไทย can be one fun option to get moving and enhance your well-being.
• Eat healthy; don’t skip meals: When you don’t eat, your blood sugar may drop. That can trigger anxiety. Eating healthy gives you energy and improves your resilience to stress. Food can affect your mood; people who follow a diet high in processed foods and sugar are more likely to experience higher stress levels.
• Caffeine can trigger anxiety and stress levels; experiment whether it affects you.
• Steer clear of alcohol: A drink may take the edge off at first, since it’s a natural sedative. But, as it’s a depressant, it slows down processes in your brain and makes anxiety worse.
• Take time to care for yourself: This means identifying and meeting your needs, something that most women struggle with. Take care of yourself so that you stay physically, mentally and emotionally well. This increases your resilience, making you better equipped to deal with stress.
“Begin by noticing what you need,” suggested life coach April Cacciatori, owner of Zensations Therapeutic Massage in Rome. “It sounds simple, but the results are profound. Awareness will help you create a new habit or shift perspective.”
• Do something you enjoy every day, something that brings you joy. Like reading a few pages of a book, gardening, going for a run, taking a bath, lighting candles, doing a craft project, cleaning out your closet. If it makes you feel good, it qualifies. The key word here is “enjoy,” which means you need to pause and immerse yourself in the experience or activity.
• Learn to say “no:” Putting too much on your plate may increase your stress load and limit the amount of time you can spend on self-care. Be selective about what you take on, and say “no” to things that will unnecessarily add to your load.
• Spend time in nature: We stand to benefit tremendously from a strong connection with nature. “The demands of everyday life often overtax our brain and body,” said Amanda Shanahan, manager of employee wellbeing at Excellus BlueCross. “Time with nature is time to recharge, allowing us to better cope with life’s stresses. Our brains don’t have to work the same way to pay attention to nature, which allows time for restoration.”
• Face the thing you’re most afraid of: Ask yourself “what’s the worst that can happen?” Then ask yourself: “If that happened, could I deal with it?” “How did I deal with similar things that happened?” “What support do I have available?”
Consider how you might prevent that worse thing from happening and then do what you need to do to prevent it from happening. If there’s nothing you can do, just let it go.
If you have chronic feelings of worry, fear, or dread that interfere with your day-to-day life, consider seeking professional help.
Henry will be presenting a three-day retreat beginning Oct. 5. “It will be an atmosphere where women can feel safe, grounded, respected, but also have fun, getting creative eating good food and share circles,” she said.
See www.facebook.com/coachchristina0142 for details.