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What are some of the most common causes of stress?
What are some early signs of stress?
How do women tend to react to stress?
How does stress affect my body and my health?
What are some of the most stressful life events?
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
How can I help handle my stress?
I heard deep breathing could help my stress. How do I do it?
Does stress cause ulcers?
I have two full time jobs – I’m a customer service center manager and a mom of two young kids. I see myself as a happy person and a hard worker. But last month, the commute to work, my job, the chores around the house, and trying to spend enough time with my kids was really stressing me out. I have to get up really early in the morning to get the kids ready for school, then it takes me so long to get to work that I’m in a bad mood by the time I get there. My office is short-staffed and we had a lot of deadlines to meet so I was working overtime. My home life suffered―traffic going home doesn’t help my mood, and when I got there, I was just so tired I didn’t want to do anything! But I was faced with making dinner and doing laundry. My kids need my attention too!
I wanted to handle my stress before it got the best of me. I talked with my boss about working later hours so I don’t run into so much traffic and am in a better mood when I get there and get home. I asked my husband to pick up the kids from school, and he has offered to help more with dinner and the laundry. When he cooks, I go for a bike ride with my kids. I also started setting five minutes aside in the morning and in the afternoon at work for me to relax and take a deep breath. These small changes have made a big difference in my life!
Stress can arise for a variety of reasons. Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident, death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side effect of a serious illness or disease.
There is also stress associated with daily life, the workplace, and family responsibilities. It’s hard to stay calm and relaxed in our hectic lives. As women, we have many roles: spouse, mother, caregiver, friend, and/or worker. With all we have going on in our lives, it seems almost impossible to find ways to de-stress. But it’s important to find those ways. Your health depends on it.
Stress can take on many different forms, and can contribute to symptoms of illness. Common symptoms include headache, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, short-temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction, low morale, depression, and anxiety.
We all deal with stressful things like traffic, arguments with spouses, and job problems. Some researchers think that women handle stress in a unique way: we tend and befriend.
During stress, women tend to care for their children and find support from their female friends. Women’s bodies make chemicals that are believed to promote these responses. One of these chemicals is oxytocin (ahk-see-toe-sin), which has a calming effect during stress. This is the same chemical released during childbirth and found at higher levels in breastfeeding mothers, who are believed to be calmer and more social than women who don’t breastfeed. Women also have the hormone estrogen, which boosts the effects of oxytocin. Men, however, have high levels of testosterone during stress, which blocks the calming effects of oxytocin and causes hostility, withdrawal, and anger.
Everyone has stress. We have short-term stress, like getting lost while driving or missing the bus. Even everyday events, such as planning a meal or making time for errands, can be stressful. This kind of stress can make us feel worried or anxious.
Other times, we face long-term stress, such as racial discrimination, a life-threatening illness, or divorce. These stressful events also affect your health on many levels. Long-term stress is real and can increase your risk for some health problems, like depression.
Both short and long-term stress can have effects on your body. Research is starting to show the serious effects of stress on our bodies. Stress triggers changes in our bodies and makes us more likely to get sick. It can also make problems we already have worse. It can play a part in these problems:
Any change in our lives can be stressful―even some of the happiest ones like having a baby or taking a new job. Here are some of life’s most stressful events.
From the Holmes and Rahe Scale of Life Events (1967)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.
Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts, especially when they are exposed to events or objects that remind them of the trauma. Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms. People with PTSD also can have emotional numbness, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, irritability, or outbursts of anger. Feelings of intense guilt (called survivor guilt) are also common, particularly if others did not survive the traumatic event.
Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event have some symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following the event, but the symptoms generally disappear. But about 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these people develop a chronic, or long-lasting, form that persists throughout their lives.
Don’t let stress make you sick. As women, we tend to carry a higher burden of stress than we should. Often we aren’t even aware of our stress levels. Listen to your body, so that you know when stress is affecting your health. Here are ways to help you handle your stress.
Deep breathing is a good way to relax. Try it a couple of times every day. Here’s how to do it.
Doctors used to think that ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods. Now, we know that stress doesn’t cause ulcers―it just irritates them. Ulcers are actually caused by a bacterium (germ) called H. pylori. Researchers don’t yet know for sure how people get it. They think people might get it through food or water. It’s treated with a combination of antibiotics and other drugs.
You can find out more about stress by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:
National Institute of Mental Health
Phone: (301) 443-4513
Internet Address: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
Phone: (800) 553-4539
Internet Address: http://www.mhselfhelp.org
National Mental Health Information Center
Phone: (800) 789-2647
Internet Address: http://www.mentalhealth.org
American Institute of Stress
Phone: (914) 963-1200
Internet Address: http://www.stress.org
American Psychiatric Association
Phone: (703) 907-7300
Internet Address: http://www.psych.org
American Psychological Association
Phone: (800) 374-2721
Internet Address: http://www.apa.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Phone: (240) 485-1001
Internet Address: http://www.adaa.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Phone: (800) 950-6264
Internet Address: http://www.nami.org
National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Phone: (802) 296-5132
Internet Address: http://www.ncptsd.org
National Mental Health Association
Phone: (800) 969-6642
Internet Address: http://www.nmha.org
All material contained in the FAQs is free of copyright restrictions, and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services; citation of the source is appreciated.
August, 2004
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