Today, almost 50% of women participate in the work force.
Many of them have children and some are single mothers.
Taking care of a family and dealing with the demands and pressures of a job lead to stress.
Therefore, working moms need to relax, as chronic stress is linked to health problems.
According to the American Psychological Association, stress affects women more than men, and women perceive themselves as having higher levels of stress than men.
Perhaps juggling the family and professional responsibilities at the same time, or the demands of supporting a family, are to blame.
Whatever the cause, stress is stress, and we know it has a negative impact on health: it impedes emotional, physical, and cognitive wellbeing.
The body's stress response is a natural response to life's challenges.
However, unrelieved stress may lead to health problems, and over time, stress can affect the immune system, heart, stomach, reproductive system, and lungs.
Chronic stress decreases the effectiveness of the immune system, so people who are chronically stressed get frequent colds that tend to linger.
Long-term stress has also been linked with high blood pressure, arrhythmia, arthrosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and heart failure.
People under constant pressure experience tension that may lead to intense neck, shoulder, or back pain.
They may experience heartburn or even develop ulcers.
Stress can also have a negative impact on one's asthma.
Although we cannot escape stress in our lives, we should make an effort to decrease its impact on our health.
For example, regular exercise has shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
It also improves mood and sleep quality.
Therefore, I would like to encourage all moms (professionals and homemakers) to find an enjoyable form of physical activity that can be squeezed into your busy schedules.
You have only one you, so take care of the you that you have! Here are some ideas for working moms to distress: Walking Running Swimming Yoga Dancing Jumping rope