Hidden Stress & Illness in Women

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Hidden Stress Illness in Women
This month is Womens History Month, and as
discussions of womens importance spread, so too
do discussions of womens health. 
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Introduction

• This month is Womens History Month, and as
  discussions of womens importance spread, so too
  do discussions of womens health. Throughout
  history, there have been certain risks and
  conditions that affect women more so than men.
  Many of these risks are influenced by a multitude
  of factors, including stress and mental health.
• Many women suffer from undue stress and feeling
  the need to hold it in or minimize their own
  needs can not only cause mental health issues but
  can make physical health issues worse as well. To
  help raise awareness of womens health, Sherman
  urgent care wants to talk about how women, and
  those in their lives, can help to alleviate the
  harmful stress they might experience.

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Hiding Illness

• When we find ourselves overwhelmed or feeling
  unwell, many of us might try to hide it. Whether
  we dont want to worry anyone around us or were
  trying to power through a difficult work week,
  anyone can mask sniffles, coughs, or an achy
  feeling from time to time.
• Women, though, are more likely to hide their
  illnesses frequently, which can increase their
  health risks. Traditionally, women are seen as
  caretakers in the family, and this preconception
  makes them more likely to try toughing it out
  instead of seeking care. Whether it be working
  long shifts during a cold or even hiding symptoms
  of the flu and pretending that they are fine,
  many women will try to work through infections.

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When women hide their sickness, they can make
themselves more likely to be seriously ill in the
future. Hiding symptoms can make it harder to
tell when a cough is just a cold or something
serious like bronchitis. This makes it crucial
for not only women to properly care for
themselves, but also for friends and family
members to encourage women to get the rest they
need.
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What Stress Impacts

• While it is easy to see how hiding symptoms of an
  illness can be bad for your health, it might be
  harder to tell why stress is such an influential
  factor. After all, everyone feels stressed
  sometimes, and small amounts of stress can be
  natural motivations for people to get things
  done. But not all stress is normal, and when
  someone feels overwhelmed, it is important that
  they have an outlet or people to confide in.
• Similar to the tendency to hide symptoms of
  common illnesses, many women are also prone to
  hiding severe stress. When women feel overwhelmed
  or especially stressed about something, they may
  try to carry on as if everything is fine. This
  can be harmful to mental health as well as
  physical health, as unresolved stress can raise
  blood pressure and increase the risk of serious
  conditions like heart attacks or strokes.

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How to Encourage Wellness

• When a woman in the family feels overwhelmed,
  offer a supportive ear. Exhibit sympathy and
  remind women in your life that they are not a
  burden on others and that their feelings are
  important. This will help them to open up and not
  feel overly worried about confiding in loved
  ones.
• If a woman in your life seems to be getting sick,
  express your concern to them. Tell them that you
  want to make sure theyre all right and offer to
  help take care of them. Spouses can offer to step
  in with parental duties and large chores around
  the house while children can offer to take on
  extra small chores so that the women most
  important in their lives can have an opportunity
  to rest and heal.

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Cont...

• Women should be more vocal about their needs when
  they are sick or feeling overly stressed. It can
  be challenging for some, but it is important to
  remember that maintaining your health and
  wellness is part of maintaining the health and
  wellness of your entire family. Women shouldnt
  be afraid to speak up when they need to rest and
  should ask their loved ones for help when they
  feel overwhelmed by stress.
• Take time for self-care. This goes beyond just
  taking medicine or sleeping in when you have the
  flu it should be built into your weekly routine.
  Self-care are small ways that women can take care
  of their body and their stress levels regularly.
  It can be as small as 15 minutes of meditation or
  as big as an at-home spa day, but no matter what
  self-care technique you try, it is important to
  make that personal relaxation a priority.

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CONT

• Find healthy outlets. To help manage stress, find
  a healthy outlet when you feel pent up or
  overwhelmed. This can be something like
  participating in a sport or physical activity. It
  can be engaging in arts and crafts. Anything that
  helps someone let out their stress in a safe
  environment can be good ways to manage
  overwhelming stress.
• Make positive changes in your life. If frequent
  stress is an issue for you, then it might be time
  to make changes to your schedule. Women should
  look at their daily routines if they feel
  frequently overwhelmed and talk with their loved
  ones about how to make positive changes. It could
  be shifting household chores or cutting out
  certain activities which have become stressful.
  Women altering the things in their lives that
  they can control goes a long way to improving
  stress levels.

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Conclusion

• Since it is so important for women to not only
  express their stress and get the TLC they need
  while theyre sick, there are things that
  everyone in the family can do to help. Friends,
  family, and women themselves can all try some of
  the following to help lighten the load of
  internalized stress and illness
• Making women and their wellbeing a priority in
  your home can go a long way to helping with
  stress relief and proper care for illnesses. When
  everyone in the family knows how to be aware,
  they can work together to make sure that mothers,
  grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and even friends
  take care of themselves.
• Sherman immediate care supports every woman in
  our community as they find ways to eliminate
  stress in their lives and work towards better
  self-care. In the case of emergencies, our
  facility is open 24/7 with highly trained doctors
  and nurses ready to give you the best in
  concierge-level care. Our convenient location
  offers compassionate care when your family, and
  the women in it, need it most.