What Are The Common Causes Of Stress In Women?

Common causes of stress in women or a common scenario in a woman’s daily life, how does it look to you?  Piled-up laundry, undone dishes, kids screaming at the top of their voices, blowing whistles of the kettles in the kitchen? Wait, it is all this and beyond. Women are always questioned about what they do the entire day, they get so much free time to rest and yet complain that they don’t get enough rest. A housewife or a working mom, you are not allowed to complain and with this very thought starts the list of common causes of stress in women.

Stress affects men and women equally but differently. I will write a completely dedicated post for men in my next, but today I will talk about how stress affects women and what are the most common causes of stress in a woman. Mental health is still some foreign terminology for a majority of the population. No one sees the invisible wounds, the silent cry for help, sadness, and loneliness an individual goes through in personal life, all they get is judgmental views and labels.

Twelve Common Causes Of Stress In Women

Whether you are a working professional or a housewife, whether you belong to a high society or a slum area, stress doesn’t discriminate against you as an individual. Stress will enter your life in the form of a difficult lover you have been dating for a while. It could also take place in your life in the form of toxic in-laws who leave no space for you to live a sane life.

What are the other common causes of stress in women? I am not a therapist but yes I am one non-judgemental and unbiased individual who has been researching, writing, and voicing out for mental health and my blogs are just a medium to help you forge your own path.

1.) Marriage

Marriage is the biggest turning point in any woman’s life. It changes a lot in and around her. Suddenly a girl who was dreaming about a new life gets a reality check by entering her new life, where the baggage of expectations, responsibilities, judgments, and complaints awaits her.

Marriages in India are not only between two people but two families and women are expected to happily fulfill all their duties entire their life sacrificing their dreams and aspirations. Societal norms and stereotypes are such that a daughter in law is measured in terms of the set parameters which causes a lot of unwanted stress and pressure.

2.) Death of a loved one

Women and mental health have never been a topic of discussion or consideration in our ignorant society.  A girl who lost another father or a married woman who lost her husband early shatters into pieces and yet she is expected to live up to society’s expectations. Sometimes she doesn’t even get a space to mourn or grieve. The death of a loved one affects one internally and it creates a vacuum beyond measure.

3.) In-laws

One of the most common causes of stress in women is her beloved in-laws, a narcissist mother in law, a controlling father in law or a biased sister in law. Women are hardly blessed with an evolved in-laws family. From day one she is expected to adjust, sacrifice, and keep quiet. My heart aches when I see that even in 2020 daughters in law are burnt alive in the name of dowry. Only in-laws can do this and no one else. They hardly accept a daughter in law as their own family member, throughout her life she is treated as an outsider. How will it not take a toll on her mental health?

4.) Chronic illness

There is a possible cause that some women might be going through some chronic illness and in turn, it is causing stress in them For example, if a woman met with a severe accident and then is bound to use a wheelchair, she feels immobile, restricted and frustrated, if a woman who lost all her hair in chemotherapy to save herself from a disastrous disease like cancer, how will she not feel sad? How will illnesses and diseases like these not cause mental distress to a human being? But how many of us could empathize with such individuals?

5.) Childhood trauma

This is hardly spoken about but almost 25% of women go through childhood abuse and trauma in their life which leaves a long-lasting impression in their memory and also impacts their behaviour and developmental pattern to a great extent. Childhood trauma is such that when you actually go through something as a child you don’t really understand how it is affecting you and when you reach out to someone, no one takes you seriously. But when you grow up you realize how that one incident or experience has changed the way you look at life.

6.) Financial stress

One of the most common causes of stress in women is financial stress. This is another level of challenge for women who are single, single mothers, and managing homes single-handedly. Even if you are married and have a family, when the financial crisis hits the bottom rock you lose your mind. I have seen pretty couples turning ugly once they hit the crisis and losing families over the financial mess. How will all this not cause stress and lead to an unhappy and unfulfilling life?

7.) Body-Shaming

Not being biased here, but life is a little harsh on a female I guess. We are expected to look flawless. Body-shaming is one thing that has killed the entire confidence level in many women and they have lost their inner spark just because the weight of the expectations was too high than their actual body weight. 

8.) Color-Shaming

Another social culprit in running the beauty within. The judgment parameter for a woman is such that if you are fair you are lovely, but if a man is dark, he is handsome by default. A woman with dark skin colour is always criticized and demeaned. Throughout my life I have been bullied for my skin colour, even if I don’t take it to heart, people make a big deal about it, as if choosing ht skin colour is in our hands.

9.) Infertility

Infertility in women is not a disease, but society and their family members make a big deal about it and blame the woman for not being able to conceive. Right her lifestyle, job, and everything is questioned by tom, dick, and harry. Its treatment is very cumbersome and can affect all aspects of a woman’s life, which can cause various psychological-emotional disorders or consequences like frustration, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, and feelings of worthlessness in life. Struggles with conception can cause deep feelings of loss to the surface and the uncertainties that infertility brings can create great emotional upheaval for many couples. 

10.) Post-partum depression

Postpartum depression is again one of the common causes of stress in women, especially in new moms but again the most ignored area of society. It is a mood disorder that occurs after the birth of a child. It certainly does not mean that a mother is not happy to deliver a baby, but it causes a lot of biological, physical, and emotional changes in the mother.

They feel extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others. Disorders like such only cause self-harm, lack of self-care, and difficulty in managing the day-to-day activities in personal purview.

11.) Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a type of depression related to a woman’s menstrual cycle which leads to severe mood swings, anxiety, and negative thoughts that present themselves in the week prior to the start of menstruation and dissipate once the menstrual period begins. It might disrupt normal daily functioning and could require medical attention in the long run.

12.) Loss of career path

This happens with many women, isn’t it? And this is another common cause of stress in women. If you are ambitious and career-oriented but had to leave your job just because you got married, your husband doesn’t like to see you working, you have a baby to take care of and your in-laws are non-supportive. You lose your career path and on the contrary, you are made to realise that you are a worthless piece who is sitting at home doing nothing, how will it not cause stress and frustration to the sanest mind in the world?

How does stress affect women in their daily lives?

A milder form of depression wherein a woman feels low, weak, and fatigued all the time. Reasons could be anything and everything right from a broken relationship, an unfulfilling career, an inferiority complex, troubling in-laws, financial stress, or any baggage of the past.

Although this is not much harm if it goes away in a shorter period through proper closures and counselling, the problem here is that due to the lack of Mental Health Awareness, none dare to read between the lines and hear those unspoken words.

After knowing all the possible common causes of stress in women, I am sure anyone who is reading this blog will like a woman in their life or help herself. You can begin by talking about it, You know it is time to talk when you observe some different behaviour in your wife, mother, daughter, or friend. It is not the time to fight, blame, or criticize but to understand what is bothering them.

Since you stay together, and know each other so well, you will be immediately able to understand when they behave differently and if the indifferent behaviour continues for some time then it is important that you talk. It will not only affect her but if a woman is under stress it will affect the whole atmosphere of the house.

So when you observe some changes,  it is time to talk when you see the below-mentioned persistent symptoms in an individual, especially if you know that person it becomes easy for you to gauge her before and after behaviour:

• Inability to concentrate or remember things
• Irritable and exhausted easily
• Terrible mood swings
• Always tensed and worried
• Loss of interest in everything
• Turning to be less social
• Sad, anxious, and hopeless all the time
• Frustration on kids
• Unnecessary lashing out at kids and feeling guilty
• Wants to sleep
• Wants to stay alone
• A change in eating pattern
• A change in sleep pattern

How to deal with women stress and help her regain her sanity

First of all the biggest help, you can do for her is to be there and be aware of her situation. Assure her and make her feel comfortable. Be non-judgemental and unbiased when they are talking or sharing things with you. When you feel that things are getting out of hand, seek professional help, there is no shame in seeing a counsellor or psychologist. In addition to medications and therapy, a few below-mentioned self-help techniques can be helpful too, if you can encourage them to do so:

• Find a support group
• Stay engaged in social activities
• Exercise regularly
• Get enough sleep
• Meditate
• Yoga
• Practice other relaxation techniques
• Read books
• Go for a long walk in nature
• Cycling and swimming also helps
• Stay in touch with positive people
• Stay away from toxic people
• Bring out the best in you
• Focus on good things
• Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones
• Breathe

Women are programmed in such a manner that they feel they have to touch perfection in everything they do otherwise society and family members will abandon them as if there is a rat race going on, a competition wherein you have to win, in the end, and you will be awarded. The biggest and one of yet another common cause of stress in women is they want to excel in everything they do. Ladies, please take a pause, reflect, and Godspeed. Introspect, bring awareness to your mind and body, listen to what your body says, and halt when you need to. Take a break.

There is no harm in taking care of your mental health, your body needs you too. If we ignore the signs that our body is giving us then we might end up in a no-hope zone forever, so ladies take charge of your life, and as Maya Angelou says, ‘Let nothing dim the light which shines from within. Self Love is not Selfish.