Living in the 21st century is just stressful for each one of us. But did you know that stress affects men and women differently and both the sexes respond to it in a different manner either? When it comes to stress and gender, there is a stress gap between men and women. The difference lies in their response to stress. Yes, there is a stress gap between men and women. Studies say that women are under more stress as compared to men. When men and women are under stress, physiologically things happen differently. You might think that the difference in their response to stress is just a strategical difference as their nature is different. But wait, it’s actually what is happening in our brain is telling each of the different sexes to do what should. Everyone’s brains release cortisol, the stress hormone. When a woman gets stressed, the brain releases oxytocin with cortisol. And oxytocin is a feel-good hormone, it’s a feel-good hormone that allows women to create bonds. Whereas, in men, it does get released but in a very little amount.
How do men respond to stress?
Let’s first discuss stress and gender in reference to men. 
When men are under stress, they actually respond better and come out of stress when they are alone and become self-centered. That is, they get out of stress when they have time to decompress themselves. They might take time, for example, 15 minutes or 30 minutes to come out of that stress phase. Physiologically, the body of a man responds differently to stress. They tend to have higher blood pressure (hypertension). Further, he may land into chronic stress where the risks increase for different diseases such as heart disease and stroke. So what men can do is that they can do something physical, go and work out.
How do women respond to stress?
Women do not respond well to stress when they are alone. They seek out emotional support and need to communicate. So women respond to stress better when they are in groups, groups of other women when they are supportive. How does stress manifest in a woman’s body? A woman gets a lot of anxiety when they are under stress. Also, sometimes, it leads to depression if it’s chronic stress that happens for a long period of time. Women also get fatigued. And along with fatigue, it goes to weight gain. Yes, women gain weight when they’re under a lot of stress. And we all know how obesity or being overweight crushes your physical health. While gaining weight, you are storing more energy in the fat cells, and the fat cells blow up bigger, and the cortisol hormone gets stuck in those fat cells. And this really needs to be cleaned out. So, a woman who has been under a lot of stress can improve her mental condition with a group of other women. Also, she can do things like meditation, massage, working on her skills, finding a new hobby, being creative, and reading books.
A Word From Mantra Care
Your mental health — your psychological, emotional, and social well-being — has an impact on every aspect of your life. Positive mental health essentially allows you to effectively deal with life’s everyday challenges.
At Mantra Care, we have a team of therapists who provide affordable online therapy to assist you with issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, relationship, OCD, LGBTQ, and PTSD. You can take our mental health test. You can also book a free therapy or download our free Android or iOS app.
