Women's Stress
Stress is caused by the mental and physical response you have to overwhelming demands. Demands can be both positive, such as a qualifying for the Olympics, or negative, such as an injury. The response can be positive and productive, such as eating healthier, or negative and destructive, such as not sleeping. There can often be a fine line between the productive and destructive effects of stress. This line is different for everyone, just as stress and the effects of stress are different for everyone. The mind interprets events to define them as stressful, and each woman is unique in her experiences and interpretations.
Productive Stress
In a positive sense, stress can make you alert, motivated, and productive. To this end, stress can be beneficial. It inspires you to meet the challenge of the task at hand. You push yourself and learn how to best handle the situation so it will be less stressful in the future. Some women "thrive" on stress, appreciating the motivation it provides.
Stress is common to women. Because women are capable of doing many things at once, they are more susceptible to the stresses of all the activities they take on. Women are social organizers, mediators, planners, mothers, wives, spouses, girlfriends, daughters, friends, athletes, teammates, managers, employees, cleaning ladies, cooks, partners, athletes, and therapists. Positive stress can lead to a full, very active life that keeps you young in spirit and in health. Athletic girls in organized sports have a full schedule as they go from school to athletic activity, and learn to balance school, fitness, friendships, and family. These girls grow into women who regularly exercise and who have the ability to manage their busy lives with multiple responsibilities, squeezing the most out of every day.
Some people need both physical and mental stress to be productive; some athletes need stress to stay at the top of their game. Their rewards are good health, personal satisfaction, and positive acknowledgment or compensation. Some athletes compete at high levels with the reward of enjoyment. Regardless, the stress must be worth it, otherwise the athlete will lose her edge, competitiveness, and desire.
Commonly Identified Positive Causes of Stress
Being involved in multiple activities
Qualifying for elite competition
Starting a new sport or job
Moving up a position or ranking
New relationship/marriage/living arrangement
Moving or going away to college
Joining a new team
A new contract or scholarship
Being responsible for others
Hormone fluctuations
Negative Stress
At high levels or for long periods of time, stress can be dangerous. Not only can it cause crying, anger, or inability to get work done, it can also cause physical illness or problems. Sometimes it can lead to negative coping behaviors, which lead to even more problems and a vicious cycle of never-ending stress. These negative coping behaviors include eating too little or too much, eating unhealthy foods, sleeping too much or too little, skipping work or practice, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, or taking too many prescribed medications. Even if you are not conscientiously engaging in negative coping behaviors, your body might be doing it for you. Signs of this are frequent colds, cold sores, canker sores, appetite and weight changes, heart disease, heart attacks, and even cancer. Too much stress can also lead to injuries or accidents, as it can cause you to be distracted from the task at hand.
Commonly Identified Negative Causes of Stress
Death of a loved one or friend
End of a relationship
A move, change of schools, or change of jobs
Money problems
Loss of position, standing, or ranking
Physical, sexual, or verbal abuse
Overwhelming pressure from coaches, peers, employers, or family
An accident or injury
Hormones
Hormonal fluctuations can be a source of stress in girls and women. This varies in intensity from one person to the next, but it is quite common. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can include feeling sad, hopeless, suicidal; tense, anxious, tearful, irritable, anger affecting others, disinterest in daily activities and relationships, trouble concentrating, fatigue, low energy; food cravings, bingeing, sleep disturbances, and feeling out of control. Physical symptoms include appetite changes, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, and joint or muscle pain. In approximately 5 percent of women, the mood problems are so severe that the medical diagnosis is premenstrual dysthymic disorder (PMDD). This disorder is now treatable with antidepressants and mood-altering medications, either daily or just for the week before your period. PMDD has been discovered to be a cause of marriage, family, and social problems. Some athletes feel so disturbed by mood and physical changes around their period that they try not to compete during this time. While emotional changes may affect performance, there is no research suggesting impaired athletic performance at certain times of the cycle.
The more complicated life becomes, the more stressful it can be. As you try to juggle multiple activities, responsibilities, and roles, you might feel less in control of your life. Also, the more people involved in a situation, the less control you have (think of a big team versus a smaller one). It is important to know how to manage, control, and relieve negative stress so it does not cause negative effects in your life. It is important to know if you are under too much stress, because this can take a toll on many of your body systems as well as your sports performance.
Controlling Stress
The best way to manage any problem is to take control. First, you must evaluate the situation and determine how it can be changed. Often, being able to change your attitude toward the stressful situation is all you need to make it less stressful. Start by identifying your stress. If there is more than one type or cause of stress, make a chart for each one. Then identify your goals and desired positive results, both in the short term (one week) and long term (one year). Now make a list of positive and negative consequences and feelings associated with the stress, both short term (one week) and long term (one year). If the negatives total more than the positives, seriously think about changing whatever has caused the stress. If you have equal numbers of positives and negatives, just having the stress written down along with a goal and the positive end results will help you gain understanding and control. This worksheet can be used to help clarify all types of stressors, from an upcoming athletic event, to a school exam, to pregnancy!
If you prefer, keep a journal to chronicle your stress. This helps to assess your levels of anxiety surrounding the stress. You should note the level of anxiousness related to stress by rating it either high, medium, or low or on a scale of 1 to 10. You should also note any triggers of stress such as other people, situations, or time of day. Most important, note what relieved the anxious feeling you had. Try to note this every day, or even each time you have stress. Use the journal as a sounding board for you to discuss and understand your stress and how you respond to it.
In addition to using various techniques to understand and manage stress, controlling the amount is also important, as too much can be detrimental. Even too much positive stress can become negative (think of a nationally ranked high school athlete who has trouble with school). You can maintain healthy balance by scheduling time off from stressful competition, practice, work, or other pressures. Because stress can be so overwhelming that it is hard to identify, pay attention to emotional and physical symptoms that interfere with your other activities.
Signs You Are Under Too Much Stress
You are more irritable.
You are anxious.
You have nightmares about realistic life situations turning out poorly.
You feel exhausted.
You are very emotional.
You feel nervous.
You are having trouble sleeping.
Your friends and family irritate you.
You have lost friends.
You cannot possibly think about doing an enjoyable activity.
Your complexion is a problem.
You have either too much or too little appetite.
You stop getting your period, or get it less regularly.
To evaluate if your stress is worth the time and energy spent on the stressful activity, answer the following questions. If answers to the following questions are "no," ""none," or "I don't know," you must consider changing your activity schedule to eliminate or decrease the stress to you.
What is my reward from all this?
Do I have significant personal satisfaction when the stress is resolved?
Do the stress factors go away when the stress is over?
Do I enjoy the stress?
Do I feel this stressful event as an exciting challenge?
If you are still having difficulty evaluating and controlling your stress, speaking with a therapist, or a mentor, parent, friend, co-worker, or coach can be very enlightening. Although it is possible to sort your problems out alone, having someone to help makes it much easier. The investment of a few hundred dollars in therapy is well worth the reduction in stress from the understanding and management skills you will learn. Health insurance often covers counseling sessions, making therapy easier to access.
If your stress analysis suggests you do not have enough positive end results or have too many negative effects, you need to consider changes. This might mean changing a relationship with friend or spouse, changing a job or team, changing a coach or trainer, staying away from negative people, or changing sports or activities. These changes can be difficult, but you will be more successful in situations that do not provide negative stress.
Stress Relief
One of the best stress relievers is regular exercises. Exercise is a natural stress reducer, increasing endorphins in the blood, relaxing your mind, and raising your heart rate. Simply taking a short walk outdoors, going up and down some steps, or doing jumping jacks in place can also help alleviate and manage stress.
Other less physical stress relievers that can work instantly include deep breathing, inhaling for a slow count of four and exhaling for the same slow count, reaching your arms overhead and breathing deep, and closing your eyes for five to ten minutes and imagining you are somewhere peaceful. Short meditations require practice but can be very effective, along with calming personal chants or "mantras." Because most people hold most of their stress in their neck and shoulders, a simple way to relieve stress is shoulder rolls?slowly rolling the shoulders forward 10 times and back 10 times. Follow this with 10 neck rolls alternating clockwise and counterclockwise.
If you are stressed before or during competition, try deep breathing, take a quick water break, shake your legs and arms out, and focus on the horizon for a minute. Open your mouth for a deep breath followed by a relaxing yawn. Recall all your positive imagery. Imagine your successful finish.
Relaxation Techniques
Count your breathing: Count to four on a slow inhale and four on a slow exhale.
Try to focus on each part of your body, relaxing first your toes, heels, ankles, and all the way up.
Think of a peaceful place and imagine all the sounds, smells, and sensations.
Do 10 shoulder rolls forwards, 10 backward, and follow with 10 alternating neck circles.
Stress-Reducing Techniques
Exercise
Stretching
Yoga
Meditation
Vacation
Calling a friend
Attacking your goal with enthusiasm and focus
Slowly indulging in one portion of a favorite food
Spending time with a loved one
Spending time with a pet
Taking a break
Making a schedule
Watching a funny TV show
Most beneficial is reminding yourself that this stress is temporary. Think briefly on an enjoyable moment ahead of or behind you. Think of the positive reasons why you are in this stressful place?you like the game, the pay, the feeling of accomplishment. Reflect on your stress chart or journal and your goals for renewed clarity, confidence, and sense of control.
(From The Active Woman's Health and Fitness Handbook by Nadya Swedan. Copyright © 2003 by Nadya Swedan.)
