Stress among Women

Women play multiple roles such as being a daughter or daughter in law, a wife, a mother, even a professional and responsible person in the workplace and so on. This places a lot of demands on the women as there are so many things that need their time, attention, devotion and effort.

Fulfilling these responsibilities to the best of their abilities is what women aim for. However, in this process, they obviously neglect their own needs, be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Due to lower support and assistance from others, they carry on with these burdens that pile up each day and create stress.

Women now a days are expected to be super moms juggling between personal and professional work expertly. However in making such expectations from women, we are neglecting the strain and load they undertake by coping with such pressures on their own.

They are in a rush almost from the time they wake up. They have to hurry children to school, prepare their meals, provide for breakfast and lunch needs of the family and then hurry themselves to reach the office on time. There is high level of anxiety and tension due to this which saps her of energy and stamina even before she reaches the workplace.

While travelling she has to cope with overcrowded vehicles, bumpy roads, noise pollution, traffic and then comes the stress again at workplace. Very few women are able to de-stress themselves or even have some separate time for themselves to relax and unwind.

Most of them are crunched for time and do not have the space, time and energy to go for walks, take a stroll on a park, have a leisurely time chatting with neighbours or visiting relatives or even taking up activities that they would love to do, like knitting, joining a women’s club, providing voluntary work at an NGO, travelling to exotic locations etc. In the absence of such outlets, stress builds.

Family tensions, financial problems, disharmony with the husband, lack of privacy at home, non co-operation by husband or family members in her choices, not being able to express her opinions or assert her choices are also sources of discontent, frustration and stress.