I have been practicing for nearly 10 years and this is a very common collection of symptoms that woman present with in my office: stress, overwhelm, and chronic fatigue. In fact, it is the dominating issue that I see, whether they realize it or not. I have seen it as early as high school girls right through to post-menopausal woman.
So what is Superwoman Syndrome?
You might have heard or you may hear people talk about themselves as being a perfectionist. Constantly striving to accomplish everything possible in a perfect manner. They often also haven’t learned how to put themselves as a top priority. What does that look like? Usually guilt, if they have “extra” time then it isn’t time to re-energize by self-pampering or just quiet time, it’s an opportunity to do more of her task list. That list is unreasonably long and the standards for which they are to be completed are unrealistic. This affects their self-worth, spiralling into constant unhealthy stress and robbing them the joys in life.
The physical symptoms:
Often but not limited to insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, difficult concentrating, hormonal issues, moodiness, digestive disorders, emotional eating, anxiety, dizziness, feeling overwhelmed and a sense of dread. The constant stress creates the sensation that everything or certain things are not within their control.
Why women?
Woman are in very challenging and unique place in our present society that continues to get faster and faster. In my opinion, it began when there was a cultural revolution in which woman took on a greater role in the work place. This was definitely a good thing but society as a whole has lagged behind this change and woman have been left holding the bag. What do I mean by that?
By taking on a greater role in the workplace, the previous thought of a “traditional” household responsibilities changed immensely. Or has it? From what I see in my practice, this has not changed other than woman taking on more responsibility. The dominant roles of yesteryears no longer apply, where woman use to take on the household duties including rearing the children and men, back when one income was sufficient to maintain a household, brought home the bread. Woman’s “liberation” has come at a steep health cost to them.
Where the syndrome starts:
Case A: Here are the patterns that I am seeing. Let’s go back to the high school girl and imagine the pressures she faces every day. The beauty magazines say she needs to look “hot” and “skinny” to be desirable and then she also needs to excel academically so she has the opportunity to be a young professional woman in the work force. Perhaps she has had the added pressure of “performing” – dance, gymnastics, soccer – to be the best. All this leads to anxiety or fear of always being judged but worse sculpt a pattern of self-expectation that have been projected on to them. We start to see the seeds of stress and anxiety, which long term lead into a lifestyle of feeling overwhelmed and fatigue along with poor lifestyle choices.
Case B: Now not all women start so early, but it is definitely a pattern. Consider the young professional woman who has come out of school, started a career, met that special someone and is now planning to start a family. For any new parent, it’s a huge adjustment but for mom it is a whole different game. Moms are generally more nurturing and because of this tend to worry much more than the father. Why is this significant? I have heard time and again, by default (the bigger worrier) mom ends up “taking” care of the kids and their needs. This of course is a generality, and there are stellar fathers out there that are just as nurturing. But in general, mom is taking care the kids on top of trying to maintain a career. Can it be done successfully? You bet! The biggest factor is to change the perception of stress by altering how they manage their lifestyle. Because let’s face it, if the above symptoms speaks to you, and you’re nodding your head to the stories above, your lifestyle management needs to be changed.
What Can Be Done?
3 things my patients learn in order for them to rid themselves of the Superwoman Syndrome:
- Perception and Expectations: Establishing Boundaries, when to say NO and when to say YES.
- Institute The Key Fundamentals of Health: Sleep, Proper Nutrition and Movement – understanding exactly what their specific needs are for them.
- Prioritize and Implement: Help create a successful plan for them to establish a happy sustainable lifestyle that re-energizes without overwhelming them with unreasonable task list.
From these strategies, women can gain a foothold and work toward a proper work-life balance in this new fast paced society that we find ourselves in. Not only does each individual need to create their own reality, they need to know how to constructively communicate to their loved ones what they need to be their best selves whether that’s being mom, a wife, a daughter or a professional.
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