Stressed Women
Unrealistic Expectations And Perceptions Of Who We Are
Stressed women are everywhere, in the home, in the office, walking down every street. Why? Well of course there are many reasons why stress becomes a part of our daily lives but women have a particular form of anxiety all of their own, it’s called “female stress mismanagement”.
I will try to explain what this is.
Women tend to be far more social than men and this is a good thing when it comes to stress. For instance they are far more likely to talk about their problems to friends and relatives then men. However this very dependence on other people can actually lead to emotional stress of another kind.
Love me, Love me!
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picture by Joshuahoffmanphoto flickr.com |
Women tend to be more worried about what other people think of them:
- Do I look good all the time?
- Do people like me?
- Do I have the cleanest home?
- Are my children well behaved and so reflecting how good a mum I am?
In fact society actual perpetuates this belief, from an early age girls are told that they should be:
- Polite
- Passive
- To be helpful
- A team player
Basically to be all sweetness and light. When little girls are not this generally society frowns upon them. And although little boys are also told to be good etc, if they are not, it is just put down to them being boys and to be expected. A sort of oh well “boys will be boys scenario.
So when things don’t work out as we hoped or if we want to be ourselves and do our own thing. And if we don’t necessarily have the perfect house, marriage, children, figure etc we become worried and anxious about what other people think of us, this equals stressed women.
Beating the syndrome
So how can we overcome this society led stressor? Well I’m not suggesting you should become rude or selfish, instead you need to think about what is important to you and put things into perspective.
Do things because you want to do them (as long as they don’t hurt anyone and not illegal of course). Don’t worry about what other people will think if you say:
- Want to run your own company
- Want to wear dungarees everyday
- Want to play football or be a boxer
- Don’t want to have children
Whenever you find yourself worrying about other peoples opinions on your life choices, challenge these thoughts.
Ask yourself:
- What do I really think about this choice? You may find that you are actually transferring your own concerns and misgivings onto others.
- What is the worst thing that can happen if I go ahead with my plans?
- Do I really care what others think?
Remember, being a good person, a polite person, a team player are all good attributes to have and should of course be continued. But if you find yourself becoming another stressed women because you think you’re not the perfect, wife, boss, housekeeper etc. Or if you prevent yourself from doing what you want because you are worried about others opinions, then it’s time to relax, take a step back and think again.
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