The intersection of modern stressful lives and mental health is fraught with many challenges for all of us. When gender-based roles and inequalities are added in, the equation becomes even more complicated, especially for women, who often face unique mental health challenges while juggling their careers, societal expectations, and caregiving roles.
Societal expectations and the pressure to conform to social norms often lead to an unequal distribution of responsibilities within the home, leading to stress and burnout. Women often bear the burden of childcare, which is the most time-consuming and tedious task. Daily childcare responsibilities such as preparing meals, monitoring homework, and transporting children to various activities often consume a significant amount of time, leading to lack of rest and physical and mental fatigue. Furthermore, the time, resources, and mental strength required to fulfill childcare responsibilities are often unpredictable due to multiple factors such as academic requirements, illness, and vacation time. These sudden and unpredictable interruptions can affect the professional life of working women.
How stress affects your skin and hair
Unlike men, women often work under pressure from the stereotype that motherhood and career success are mutually exclusive. These factors lead to dissatisfaction and psychological stress in the workplace. Experiences such as discrimination, sexual harassment, violence and lack of a women-friendly environment increase psychological distress and have a significant impact on their mental health.
When women try to break out of these stereotypes and assume non-stereotypical social roles, they face hostile prejudice: for example, women who adopt stereotypically masculine behaviors face social and economic repercussions and are stigmatized (disliked, less likely to receive job offers or promotions).
Despite increasing gender equality, women remain the primary caregivers in the home and struggle with the ideal worker model, which has been observed and studied to “fit” gender expectations better for men (who are assumed to prioritize professional success at all costs) than women (who are assumed to care equally for their families).
How stress affects your health
These challenges and the impact that women face in the form of poor mental health are easily observable on a daily basis within families and society at large, yet there appear to be very few efforts to improve the situation.
Therefore, all women, especially working women, need to address the mental health challenges they face and take appropriate steps to improve their well-being.
1) Self-care and self-love: Create a self-care routine that includes healthy eating, exercise, relaxation training, and regular sleep schedules and try to stick to it.
2) Set healthy boundaries and learn to say “no”: Set clear boundaries between your work and personal life. Minimize work-related communication during your personal time. If you’re finding it difficult to cope with the existing work, say “no” to any additional burdens, whether personal or work-related.
3) Support Network: Build a support network with family, friends and colleagues to share responsibilities and worries. Human connection often reduces stress and improves mental health.
4) Seek Professional Support: Talk to a mental health professional. They can provide you with a safe and relaxed space to openly discuss your mental health challenges. They can also help you develop a customized strategy to improve your mental health.
(Author: Dr Meenakshi Jain, Consultant Psychiatrist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad)
