Last week, The Huffington Post highlighted women and their stress levels in one of their regular Twitter question slideshows. They asked women, “What’s the biggest stressors in your life?” Answers included:
- “Doing anesthesia for liver transplants.”
- “Constant paranoia that I will somehow lose my job and have no safety net to fall back on.”
- “The possibility that my breast cancer will return.”
- “Dealing with my boyfriend’s military deployment.”
Sure, there were less dire stressors – lipstick on a sweater, not having enough time to get everything done, and cranky kids among them. As I scrolled through the HuffPo slideshow, I started thinking….wow, women are stressed! But what struck me more than that was the idea that everyone has something they’re up against. It is, what you might call, the “Stress of a Woman.”
Whether you’re a CEO or an entry-level college grad, a mother or an aunt, a friend, a wife or a partner, the fact of the matter is that women take on the world every day. We stress ourselves out over everything from our jobs to ailing and aging parents to our children and our clothes.
So for a moment, today, I want to give you all a challenge. Slow down. Just for a moment. When you’re banging your head against the wall, take a deep breath and ask yourself what you need today to get through the stress. How can you make it happen?
In closing, and in honor of all the stressed out women in the world, let me share with you one of my favorite songs from famed 90′s country girl group SheDaisy. The lyrics speak volumes:
“This woman takes on the world, and picks up your shirt, and keeps it together somehow.”
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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