Stress Busting for Men & Women

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

10 Sep 2006 09:00 PM

According to John Gray, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, but they are both down here on Earth when stress strikes. In fact, stress is the one area where men and women are actually both on the same page because they need some of the same stress busting even if their stress comes from different sources or is demonstrated in different ways.

Among the best stress relievers shared by men and women both:

• Regular sleep
• Reducing caffeine
• Regular exercise

But there are some differences between men and women, besides the obvious. Among those differences are that women are more likely than men to develop depression when they are stressed. Men are more likely than women to cite their job or career as their source of stress whereas women find their family more stressful.

So, since we know that men and women are alike and that they are different, here is some specific stress busting tips for both genders. These are based on medical studies and published reports with regard to the specific physiological differences between men and women.

Ladies, let's start with you:

• Increase your antioxidants - you can do this by increasing the number of fruits and vegetables you eat during the day
• Exercise, exercise exercise - women are more likely than men to let their fitness program slide when they are stressed because they leave themselves behind in a busy schedule, don't let that happen
• Ask for help - you don't have to do it all by yourself and while we are modern women perfectly capable of bringing home the bacon and cooking it up too - there's nothing wrong with asking for help when we need it
• Stop smoking - women are more likely than men to develop lung cancer and it's important to kick the habit because despite all the odd sensations - smoking doesn't relieve stress - it just relieves the desire for nicotine and that desire begins to increase the minute you put the cigarette out - so kick the habit entirely and that's a load of health, financial and other stress off your back
• Seek a trained therapist - interestingly enough - women more than men are twice as likely to develop post-traumatic stress after a traumatic experience whether it's an accident, a death in the family or other - a trained therapist can help you work through the confusion of feelings and get things into perspective as well as helping you to create positive stress reducing habits

As for you gentlemen out there:

• It's time to shut off the television because while it may be mindless, it doesn't help you proactively affect whatever is stressing you and may actually increase your stress if you feel like you are running away
• Take the time to revisit your resume - you may not be job hunting right now, but there's something really self-affirming about listing all of your skills and jobs to date
• No more alcohol because men are far more likely than women to reach for a bottle of beer when they are overstressed - if you think you really need that drink, go for a run or hit the weights in the gym instead and you'll burn off the stress in a positive manner
• Check out books on tape because they can help your mind to relax during those tense, after work drives home in knuckle biting bumper to bumper traffic - instead of snarling about how long it's taking you - listen to the book on tape and enjoy the quiet time to yourself with a good book
• Open your mouth - don't let the stereotype fool you, talking about it can help you to sort out your issues rationally and half the burden of sucking it up and keeping it all to yourself like a man - remember, stress can lead to heart disease and there's nothing manly about that

Yes, some of these solutions are similar, but it's their application that's different. The truth is - men and women both need exercise, they both need someone to talk to and they both need to develop positive habits for coping with stress. My favorite - personally - is the person who's exhausted because they are up late every night. Their lack of sleep makes their reaction time slow and their work time less than productive so they are up late again the next night - are you seeing the pattern here?

I though you might and on that note - it's time for me to crash, I have a lot to do tomorrow! Have a great night!

Related articles:

10 Reasons to Do Your Cardio Every Day

Essential Oils: Chamomile

How to Avoid Getting Sick When Your Kids Are Sick

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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