Imagine a world in which every woman could feel safe, supported, understood, and had access to resources that help them to maintain and enhance their mental health. Women’s mental health may seem like a personal issue pertaining only to only women but it is actually a societal one that is important for all of us to understand. Understanding why women’s mental health matters is the first step in empowering women to prioritize their mental health. We also need to make the necessary changes to make this a reality for all.
Unique Mental Health Challenges That Women Face
Women face numerous unique mental health challenges due to different factors including biological, social, and professional. These factors can’t be ignored as they all often combine together adding layers of complexity to women’s overall well-being.
Hormonal Changes
Hormonal changes that occur throughout a woman’s lifetime, including changes and fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, can greatly impact a woman’s mood and mental health. It’s always recommended to see a medical professional to rule out any other medical conditions when you notice or have concerns about these changes.
It’s very common for female clients to talk about the havoc that hormonal cycles and changes can wreak on levels of anxiety, depression, patience with partners and children, sleepiness and wakefulness, productivity, appetite, and the list goes on. Understanding how much mental health can be affected by hormones can help women understand what is going on with them in addition to helping mental health professionals provide the best care to their clients.
Social and Cultural Expectations
Many women juggle multiple roles including career, family, and those in their personal lives while facing societal expectations and gender stereotypes. This can make it very difficult for women to maintain a healthy work-life balance and to engage in meaningful self-care. It’s common in therapy to hear women saying that they feel overwhelmed, drained, and wondering how they can do it all.
The effects of women’s mental health can be far-reaching as women often serve as primary caregivers within families. Whether this is an expectation or by choice, women often carry more of the mental, physical, and emotional load of caregiving for children and sometimes aging parents. The mental state of a woman can strongly impact her ability to not only care for others but also herself.
Practicing self-care is essential to maintaining overall physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and professional well-being. But balancing a career, managing household responsibilities, caring for your family, and maintaining your own interests and relationships outside of work and home can be challenging for women when there seems to be a lack of available time in a day.
Societal expectations and gender stereotypes vary widely across societies but many common themes, including those being discussed, exist globally. Recognizing and understanding these within your own culture and from the perspective of women within that culture can help us understand women’s experiences in context.
Professional Challenges
In the workplace, women can not only face the same societal expectations and gender stereotypes but also gender discrimination, gaps in pay, and extra challenges in achieving or maintaining work-life balance and advancement in career.
As mentioned before, women often juggle having a career with other roles in their lives. Women can often be expected to not only succeed in the workplace but also to manage household responsibilities at home. Sometimes there is an assumption that women will and need to prioritize family needs over their own professional ambitions. This can often lead to more limited career opportunities and advancements in the workplace.
Why Does Women’s Mental Health Matter?
So, why does women’s mental health matter? Women’s mental health is a cornerstone of a healthy society. It is crucial because it not only affects the person themselves but also their families, workplaces, and communities. As we understand the unique challenges faced by women in society, we can take steps to support their mental health and overall well-being.
Women’s Support Groups Can Help!
One way women can receive support with their wellness and mental health is to join a Women’s Support Group. A Women’s Support Group typically consists of a small group of people who identify as female, who meet regularly to offer each other support, encouragement, validation, and understanding around many different topics that are discussed.
A group like this provides a safe space for women to be your authentic self, to share both positive and challenging things that are going on in your life, and to gain insight and support from others who may be or have gone through a similar situation.
By addressing the unique challenges that women face in our society, we can ensure that they have access to the most appropriate and effective care and resources to support their mental health. Recognizing the importance of women’s mental health is not only a benefit for women but is beneficial to society as a whole.
How We Can Help
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Other Therapy Services Available at Catalyss Counseling:
Here at Catalyss Counseling, we want to meet all of your counseling needs in the Denver area. Our supportive therapists provide depression counseling, therapy for caregiver stress, grief and loss therapy, stress management counseling and more. We also have specialists in trauma and PTSD, women's issues, pregnancy and postpartum depression or anxiety, pregnancy loss and miscarriage, and birth trauma. For therapists, we can also provide clinical supervision! We look forward to connecting with you to help support your journey today.
Author Biography
Pansy Ayala is a licensed therapist with Catalyss Counseling and specializes in treating adults with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and relationship issues. She uses a holistic, individualized approach to better understand who you are, what areas of your life you find problematic, and how you can reach your goals. She especially enjoys working with parents. Follow Catalyss Counseling on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
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