Coping with stress..... for Women

Life is forever busy.... and we fit so much into it, everyone I know is busier than ever, no matter who I am talking to the general conversation is that life is busy. When I was at a meeting during the week, three of my colleagues put their hand up to take on more work...because there was no one else to do it...now these people are already overworked or very busy...so why do we do it? why do we say YES when really it should be saying NO.
Taking time out is not as easy as you think, as there is no one to do your job, workloads are high....and there is so much to do within every aspect of life...family, friends, and self.

Yes we all need a degree of stress in our lives, it helps us learn and grow, however as I get older I am finding that I seem less able to handle as much stress and my body is now giving me physical signs of stress.... so lets look at what stress is and the symptoms ....
Stress is a normal fact of life, stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flee). However it is how we manage it...
Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience. In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include your job, physical environment, relationships with others, home life, and any other situations, challenges, snags, and your own expectations you're faced with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include the way you eat, so nutrition, overall health and fitness, your emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get. For me sleep and rest are the last things on my list, followed closely by exercise..... I seem to be a night owl. Diet I try to do the right thing...however eating out and late are aspects that could be reviewed. As for work this is one of the biggest stressors...

The degree of stress in our lives depends upon individual factors such as our physical health, the quality of our interpersonal relationships, the number of commitments and responsibilities we carry, the degree of others' dependence upon us, expectations of us, the amount of support we receive from others, and the number of changes or traumatic events that have recently occurred in our lives.
There is now evidence that points to abnormal stress,responses as causing various diseases or conditions such as: migraine headaches, asthma, diabetes, fluctuating blood sugar levels, clinical depression,chronic anxiety states, high blood pressure, heart disease, and addictive disorders. I wonder if sex addiction comes in this category.....? A very important point is that stress can begin in the womb and recur throughout life....

When women experience stress, their behavior sometimes changes. Examples; of behavioral symptoms of stress in women: overeating or eating less, over sleeping or sleeping less, procrastinating, isolating one's self, increased use of alcohol and cigarettes, drug use, cynicism and or bitterness. One of the most common behaviour symptoms is irritability, followed by anger, mood swings, and weeping. Constant worrying is also shown by women under stress.


Relaxation:

So how do we manage stress; there are the standard strategies:look around to see what you can change and don't sweat the small stuff.....some tips:
avoid stressful situations, change how you react to stress, set priorities and goals, change how you see the situation, find relaxation techniques, find out what is most important to you, Relaxation Techniques, exercise, healthy diet....

Are you at risk of Burnout...do this simple Burnout self-test....my score was 46 which is "I am at risk if I am not careful"..... now there is a surprise..... It is hard to change the way you are used to working but when the warnings are present...it is time to sit up and take note.... so for me the first step is to hit the pavement and doing some walking..... second get some more sleep.... and third.... relaxation.... that's my first three steps...lets see how I go..

This website has some great ideas and strategies...Stress Management MindTools: have a look its worth a visit..