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Although the myths of single women being stressed out because we are supposedly anxious in our life-consuming search for a husband are, thankfully, being debunked we single ladies still have sources of stress that have nothing to do with whether or not a man liked it enough to put a ring on it.
When it comes to stress, being single has its own quirks. We have no spouse or spousal equivalent to either add to our stress by having to take their needs into consideration nor to help us reduce our stress by sharing the load, cheering us up or just listening. Many of us also don't have kids which means no stress from parenting but also no little ones to care for and shift our focus away from our trials and tribulations and toward their needs . And don't forget our particular stress from judgment (which we all get, it's just different depending on our lifestage). Why aren't you married? No kids? How selfish and meaningless your life must be! It's just you - your life must be so easy and carefree - what do us singletons have to be stressed out about?
When we talk about women and stress, the first image that leaps to mind is that of a working mom, frantically juggling car pools and conference calls. Popular culture staples such as Cosmopolitan and "Sex and the City" seem to suggest that single women have all the time in the world for painting the town red, soaking in a bubble bath and keeping a journal.
Just this morning I discussed stress in my life with my doctor. Although I am not aware that I am necessarily more stressed than usual, I am definitely showing some physical symptoms of stress. Like most, I am not immune from stresses from the current economic situation. My current living situation and the possibility of having to move is not helping my stress level. And losing my stress-busting pets coupled with exercising less for several months seems to be adding up to a less-Zen Maria.
All in all, I'm getting plenty of signals that I should make sure that I'm paying attention and take steps to manage stress in a healthy manner.
Five Stress Busting Tips:
1. Exercise: When you're single it can be easy to become a mouse potato and I am guilty of sitting in front of my screen for 12+ hours most every day. I've set a time (different from my previous dog time) to take a walk each day and am making an effort to walk in a nearby park because getting out in nature can help relieve stress.
BlogHer CE Zandria's blog is a great source of exercise and fitness tips for single women.
Yoga is considered a top stress-relieving exercise with lots of benefits for stress management.
2. Meditate: You don't have to become a Buddhist, get a guru or channel Elizabeth Gilbert in order to learn how. Try just closing your eyes and breathing. If you want to learn different techniques hit your search engine of choice and there are hordes of resources. To get started, Oprah has a great tip: start with a minute and add a minute each month. So in January one minute, February two minutes and so on. If you can, try to do this twice a day when you wake up and before you go to bed.
I cleared off the chair in my bedroom where I would dump clothes and am working on getting into a regular habit. I'm getting better at meditating most mornings.
3. Eat right: As I advocate, cooking for yourself is a smart step towards healthy eating for one. But regardless of whether you cook for yourself or mostly eat out, try to be aware of what you are eating. I have kept a food diary in the past but since I've recently gained a few pounds means I might have made some unconscious changes I'm back at it. I found a great free application for my iPod touch that I can use to log my food and exercise and it tracks where I stand with calories, nutrients and reaching weight loss goals. It has been eye opening and I am quickly seeing how I need to re-balance what I'm eating.
4. Sleep: I am very fortunate to sleep reasonably well and do a good job of getting what I should. Still, I could have
