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Reduce Your Stress, Not Your Finances

Featured Author:

Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter

Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter is CEO of her firm, Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., P.A., as well as partner and CEO of the Institute for Behavioral Sciences and the Law, a forensic psychology practice in Fort Lauderdale.

She currently is working on her newest book, The Dangers Lurking Above the Glass Ceiling: Anticipating, Recognizing, and Preventing Collapse Once You're on Top. The book focuses on high-achieving women and strategies they can use to effectively cope with the stressors in their hectic, overscheduled, and high-pressured lives. To learn more about Dr. Carter, visit her website High-AchievingWomen.com.

More articles from this author:

• So You Want to Be a Writer ...
• Work-Life Balance Stressing You Out? You Can Stop It!
• Tame Your Gadgets Before They Take Over Your Life

Let’s see … there’s Hillary and Sarah. Four-star General Ann Dunwoody. Olympian Dara Torres. I could go on, but suffice it to say that in the past year, women have achieved some amazing historical milestones, and if things continue in the direction they’re heading, we’re on course for another record breaker. For the first time in U.S. history, women are poised to surpass men in the work force.

Yes, we’ve come a long way, baby! But before we begin celebrating, let’s put this impending milestone into perspective. First, although we were inching closer to this majority milestone before the economy began tumbling, the reason we’re poised to take the “lead” right now is because many more men than women are being laid off, and that’s not exactly cause for celebration. But even more concerning is the reality that more women than ever before, whether by choice or survival, have become or will soon become primary breadwinners for their families.

Before you start burning my NOW card, hear me out. It’s not that I think women can’t or shouldn’t be primary breadwinners. It’s that all the data is pointing in the same direction, and that appears to be down the rapids and off a cliff – if we don’t change our course and find calmer waters.

For one thing, women are suffering the brunt of the stress associated with these uncertain economic times. According to the American Psychological Association, not only are women reporting more stress than men over money and the economy, they’re experiencing more stress-related symptoms. In addition, the Center for Work-Life Policy recently found that although men and women both feel stressed at work, women disproportionately feel stress related to their families’ well-being because they see a direct link between the time they spend at work and the negative effects on their families (i.e., more junk food, more time in front of a TV) whereas men tend to blame external factors (i.e., “society,” television violence). And as more women become breadwinners, these stress levels are only likely to increase, which means bad news for women. High levels of stress are associated with increased risks for serious illnesses, including heart disease and high blood pressure, as well as higher risks for developing emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, and burnout. In addition, the more stress in a family, the more risk for family conflict, domestic violence, child abuse, divorce, and psychological problems for children in the family.