Do women get more stress than men?

It seems like women are generally busier and more stressed than men, that they juggle more roles and are constantly rushing.

Women, according to the APA survey, tend to experience stress in the form of physical symptoms. They are more likely than men to report stress-related health problems such as hypertension, depression, anxiety, and obesity. For women, the stress is more due to a number of reasons. Some of the reasons as compared to a man, for a married woman it is all about managing her house, taking care of her children and trying to keep her marriage healthy and happy. For an unmarried woman, it is all about taking care of her parents, siblings, and the house and also trying to do well on the work front.

Here are some things to do when you get stress.

Exercise

Write. It may help to write about things that are bothering you. ...

Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to. ...

Do something you enjoy. You may feel that you're too busy to do these things. ...Focus on the present.

Create a chill-out routine

Go outside and take a walk

Find a balance between rest and activity

Plan long weekends

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What is Social Stress?

Social stress is stress that results from relationships with others and a person's social environment. Social stress is often exacerbated when people have less capability of changing their own circumstances. Sources of social stress are multiple and can be generated in almost every area of life. These sources include, but are not limited to, problems with work or earning an income, parenting, education, sex and socialization, immigration status or language, personal physical and psychological health, peer pressure or other causes of social marginalization.  With lower social status often comes a feeling of powerlessness.  The less power a person has to change his own situation and the more demand placed upon him, the more prone he/ or she is to stress.

1. Egoistic suicide, which occurs when an individual is insufficiently integrated within a group and has few social bonds (e.g., an elderly person whose lifetime partner dies and who feels as if there is little reason to go on living.

2. Altruistic suicide, which occurs when an individual identifies with a social group that he or she is willing to sacrifice life for the group

3. Anomic suicide, which occurs during times when society’s norms and values are undergoing upheaval or rapid change so that individual society member may feel a sense of anomie—normlessness—and society’s constraints against Suicide weaken

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Overcoming an eating disorder

Any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, such as anorexia nervosa. Recovering from an eating disorder can be difficult but is most definitely possible. If you or someone you know is trying to overcome an eating disorder, you might find that other physical and emotional issues stress can come up during the process. But in the long run, recovery from an eating disorder can lead to a healthier life overall.

Causes of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are complex disorders, influenced by a facet of factors. Though the exact cause of eating disorders is unknown, it is generally believed that a combination of biological, psychological, and/or environmental abnormalities contribute to the development of these illnesses.

Examples of biological factors include:

• Irregular hormone functions
• Genetics (the tie between eating disorders and one’s genes is still being heavily researched, but we know that genetics is a part of the story
• Nutritional deficiencies

Examples of psychological factors include:

• Negative body image
• Poor self-esteem
• Emotional stress
• Physical stress
• Low self of esteem
• Low Self image 

Especially with the young generation, with TV advertisement sending a wrong massages. People lose their identity. Identity is actually a result of these choices, past and present. We become what we think is expected of us, not who we really are.  Some times an assumed identity becomes such a part of who we believe we are, it can be very difficult to make real change.

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The Benefits Of Power Napping

Many of our highest achievers benefits from taking a brief time-out from the stresses day and taking a power nap. Our parents and babysitters may have been onto something when they encouraged us to nap — even in adulthood, brief, regular napping seems to be good for you in a variety of different ways, according to recent studies.

While our fast-paced society may discourage breaks and taking time to slow down, research shows the opposite to be true: Any time you can rest and recharge your battery is beneficial for both your body and mind. Having a 30-minute snooze can help relieve stress and bolster the immune systems by restoring hormones and proteins to normal levels.

Some research shows that napping can help reduce the stress. Taken nap during the day, each lasting about 30 minutes, and the ability to repair some of the damage caused by a poor night’s sleep of just two hours. Biological indicators of the adults, who napped, such as stress hormones, were measured and then compared to a control group.

Researchers found that one of the three stress hormones measured, called noradrenaline, was increased the day after the men were sleep-deprived, but not if they were allowed to take naps.

Naps can be typed in three different ways:

• Planned napping (also called preparatory napping) involves taking a nap before you actually get sleepy. You may use this technique when you know that you will be up later than your normal bed time or as a mechanism to ward off getting tired earlier.

• Emergency napping occurs when you are suddenly very tired and cannot continue with the activity you were originally engaged in. This type of nap can be used to combat drowsy driving or fatigue while using heavy and dangerous machinery.

• Habitual napping is practiced when a person takes a nap at the same time each day. Young children may fall asleep at about the same time each afternoon or an adult might take a short nap after lunch each day.www.valerymolone.com

Why Moms Need Friends For Stress Relief

Motherhood can bring amazing rewards, as any mother will tell you. However, it can bring a good measure of stress, leaving many moms exhausted and even at an increased risk of depression. That’s why self-care for mothers is especially important. And although mothers often think of the need for their children to have healthy social lives, one of the greatest resources a mom has is social support. Because of this, friends and other mothers can be a valuable resource.

Social Support

Social support is important for health and stress relief; it increases resilience, multiplies joy, and softens sorrow.

Sharing Advice

Nobody understands the issues moms face every day like another mother who’s been through the same thing! While all mothers don’t experience all challenges, or experience them in the same way, the wisdom of having been there and the benefit of another mother’s answers can provide terrific solutions and provide reassurance. Moms of younger kids can benefit from the experience of more veteran mothers, and can gain confidence by helping out the more junior moms.

Getting Out There

Sometimes mothers can become so immersed in caretaking that they forget to do the things they enjoy. Other moms can help a mother get out there and enjoy what they enjoy doing!

 Get Together for Play Dates

Meeting for play dates with other mothers and their children can provide positive social interaction for the kids and a nice dose of female bonding for the moms.

Have a Moms Night Out

While it’s fun to get together with the kids, getting together with mother friends one night a month or so can provide a whole different experience. Over a few drinks, the most interesting topics of conversation can arise:

Maintain Variety

Another great benefit of motherhood is that it connects women who would otherwise have little in common, or not even cross paths. Women can really benefit by connecting with other moms who are years younger or older, from a different background, or otherwise different from the friends she would usually seek out.

Help One Another

Moms can even give one another some needed nights out by forming a babysitting co-op. They can help make difficult times easier by bringing dinners to new moms or offering aid in times of crisis. These activities build a sense of community and set a good example for kids, and everyone benefits!www.valerymolone.com

Letting Go

 Not everyone is an appropriate match. If there’s someone in your life who makes you feel bad about yourself, doesn’t share any of your interests or values, or is someone that you just don’t mesh well with, it’s perfectly acceptable to put that relationship on the back burner, let it fade altogether, or not develop it in the first place. Even if you were at one time close, people change and grow in different directions. That doesn’t mean there’s something ‘wrong’ with either of you. But if someone in your life is no longer good for you, it’s perfectly acceptable to let them go. Conversely, if you’d like to keep them in your life out of loyalty, albeit in a periphery role, that’s OK, too. However, it would be beneficial to remember not to count on them for support, if they’re not able to give it to you. Only you know if the relationship is worth keeping or not. But it is important to have several people you can count on for support in your life. The more people you have in your life, the more likely you are to have truly supportive relationships with at least one of them. It’s beneficial to be able to regularly add new people to your circle.www.valerymolone.com

Healthy Family Relationship and Stress Relief

A connection to family provides a certain type of social support that you can’t get from other people. Who better than siblings, parents, and other close relatives can reminisce with us about our childhoods, or remember pieces of ourselves we’ve forgotten? This connection to fond memories, support in times of need and near-unconditional love is a unique way that family brings us happiness as well as relief from stress. Unfortunately, with the complexity of these relationships, they're not always easy. Dealing with difficult people is never easy. But while it may be better for your stress level and even improve your health to eliminate strained relationships from your life, it's not always a simple undertaking when the difficult people are relatives. Social support is a great stress reliever, but relationships can also be a major source of stress. The role your family plays in your life, and the health of your family relationships, can really affect your stress levels. Remember, strong family relationships can be a source of strength that you can draw upon in times of stress, and use to expand your enjoyment of the good times you experience in life.  A conflicted family relationship cannot just deprive you of that support, but they can create additional stress that depletes your ability to cope.  You may not be able to completely control the types of relationships you have with your family members--after all, relationships are dynamics that involve more than just one person--but there are many things that you can do to create greater harmony in your relationships, and protect yourself from unnecessary stress and pain.  www.valerymolone.com