Women's Mental Health and Ways to Improve Overall Wellbeing
Women are often raised with messages about being caring, nurturing, thoughtful, and family oriented. These communicated values, as well as the behaviors that we have observed in the women before us, sometimes result in continued patterns of taking care of others while putting our own wants, needs, and self-care on the back burner.
Research on decision-making shows that women also tend to think about others when making decisions. While this is all well and good, it can become problematic when women do not feel like they have permission (from themselves or others) to take care of themselves.
As noted above, “you yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Women’s self-care and prioritization of their own needs is an act of self-love and care.
Systemic Issues & Women’s Mental Health
Although we are certainly living in a different age than our parents and grandparents, women are still dealing with tremendous struggles. One in five women experience a common mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety, and women continue to face gender-based inequality. Black, indigenous, and people of color also face continued oppression, discrimination, and racism that can impact their mental health. These systemic issues can take a toll on women’s mental health.
As noted above, there are larger systemic issues that need to be addressed to improve women’s mental health. Many times people feel like they don’t know where to start or that they don’t know how to address these issues. Other people feel like their voice won’t matter, so they don’t speak up. Speaking up is one way that women can take control and feel empowered. If you feel led to do so, consider volunteering with an organization who supports a cause you care about. Write a letter to your local or state representatives or pick up the phone and call them (we highly recommend the 5 calls app, which makes calling local officials simple and straightforward!).
Simple & Effective Strategies to Improve Well-Being
If you prefer to focus on steps that are completely within your own control to improve your mental health, here are some simple but effective strategies that you can add to your daily routine.
Prioritize Self-Care
Create time in your schedule to do the things that bring you rest and relaxation – it could be reading, journaling, taking a bath, going on a stroll, or simply taking time to “be” and breathe. Setting aside time for yourself is crucial to meeting your needs and making sure that you are taking care of yourself, even if it is just for thirty minutes. Self-care can be as simple as making sure you are staying hydrated, nourished, and rested with ample sleep.
If you’re reading this and telling yourself that this is not realistic, consider the fact that you would likely not expect your children (if you have them) to get through the day without adequate food, hydration, or rest. Our own self-care is necessary if we are to continue feeling well and functioning to our best abilities in our personal and professional roles.
Practice mindfulness
We can get caught up in our hectic and busy lives and forget to “be” in the moment. One way you can practice mindfulness is to try to be present in what you are doing at that moment. Be mindful of your breath or your surroundings. If you are folding laundry, instead of thinking about the next item on your to-do list, notice how it feels to have the warm clothes on your hands as you fold them. When eating your food, try slowing down to really savor the smell, taste, and texture rather than eating as quickly as possible, so you can move onto the next task on your to-do list.
Practicing awareness of the present moment can bring you to a place of groundedness and gratitude. It may also help to create a sensory tool kit, which can be a great and useful tool for you to use in times of stress or worry, learn how to make one here.
Be kind to yourself
We naturally focus on the negative things in life, so it can be hard to be gentle with ourselves. Instead of thinking, “I wish I did more. I could’ve been better. I failed at this,” maybe try shifting your perspective to “I did enough. I put in as much effort as I was willing to give. I made mistakes, but mistakes are part of learning.” It’s not always easy trying to shift your negative thoughts to kinder, more compassionate ones, but try to be gentle with yourself.
Move your body regularly with enjoyable activities
Whether indoors or outdoors, moving your body can improve your mood, increase energy, and increase cognitive function. Exercising allows the brain to secrete major neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin which are linked to treating depression.
Get outside in nature
Studies show that time in nature has positive impacts on our mental health. Take a break and go outside to get some sunshine. Use your newfound mindfulness skills to feel the breeze, smell the fresh air, or feel the sun on your skin. Taking a break from whatever you’re doing, going outside, and taking a deep breath is a simple step that you can take to help you de-stress.
Get enough sleep
Of course, sleep is important, but how many of us get the amount of sleep that we actually need? Getting enough quality sleep is crucial to our mental health. Adequate sleep helps us with concentration, energy, and even emotional regulation. Consider putting your phone on do-not-disturb an hour before your bedtime and just unwind. If you don’t have a consistent sleep routine, it can be very helpful to get your sleep cycle on a consistent schedule.
As mentioned previously, parents and babysitters make sure that children are eating, sleeping, and hydrating regularly and on schedule. There’s a reason we do this with children, and those same concepts apply to adults. If you are someone who experiences racing thoughts at night, and/or find it difficult falling asleep, even when you really want/need to, read more about ways to help alleviate these concerns here.
These tips alone may not help with treating mood disorders. Please get in touch with a medical professional for further help and guidance. The therapists at LifeSpring are here to help you with self-care, mindfulness, and other strategies for managing life stressors, depression, anxiety, and trauma.
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Interested in Counseling for Anxiety and Depression in Maryland?
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The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written By: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
