Stress is a complicated concept that affects women’s physical and mental health. It consists of stressors, one’s reaction, and behavior, attracting adverse outcomes, including depressive states and exhaustion. Illnesses can become a source of tension and impact the condition of a female’s health. The recently appeared virus of COVID-19 made people worldwide anxious and panic about other perspectives of life. Females have a more significant strain level during the pandemic (Mattioli et al., 2020). Apart from infecting, it can cause such consequences as nervousness, anxiety, and depression (Stepowicz et al., 2020). Examining the link between stress and COVID-19 is essential to denote its impact on women’s health.
It is vital to examine what is known about the connection of women’s stress to COVID-19. For instance, it is known that infection stress causes women’s anxiety. Another issue faced by females during the coronavirus was increased levels of stress hormones (Stepowicz et al., 2020). Moreover, pregnant women feared for their children’s health, leading to panic conditions. Depression and burnout are other examples associated with stress provoked by a virus. Furthermore, lockdown influenced women’s physical activity and eating habits and led to weight gain (Mattioli et al., 2020). Accordingly, anxiety about weight and appearance made many females stressed. Therefore, the stress caused by this disease affects women’s physical and mental health.
COVID-19 shocked millions of people; it brought confusion into the everyday life of individuals. An unhealthy lifestyle caused by quarantine brought damaging outcomes such as insomnia, irritability, overeating, and emotional disturbance (Mattioli et al., 2020). The importance of stress caused by this virus for women is vulnerability to stress factors, pregnancy tension, mental disorders, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. According to the research, women who lived through stress connected to COVID-19 had more than 14 points on Edinburgh’s depression scale; a person with more than 12 points is considered depressed (Medina-Jimenez et al., 2020). Moreover, coronavirus becomes a source of strain for pregnant women; apart from being anxious about the child’s health, it causes higher rates of cesarean sections (Stepowicz et al., 2020). The study depicted that stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline increased in women during COVID-19 (Stepowicz et al., 2020). Furthermore, pressure provoked by anxiety leads to such outcomes as depressive conditions in females.
There are measures that women can take to reduce stress levels. Managing stress can seem complicated, especially in modern conditions of intense lifestyle. Indeed, doctors recommend moderate physical activity to decline anxiety levels, stress, and relative depressive states (Stepowicz et al., 2020). Moreover, meditation and yoga help to reduce irritational and panic conditions. It is essential to note that positive outcomes from exercising contribute to general health improvement. Doing complicated and professional exercising is not required to reduce tension. Furthermore, moderate exercises are available at home and do not require special equipment. Reviewing eating habits and lifestyle and shifting to more healthy products to minimize overweight-related risks is recommended.
Overall, the link between COVID-19 and women’s stress is apparent. Anxious conditions caused by stressful events about coronavirus lead to an unhealthy lifestyle, making women consume more calories, which causes overweight and distress. Moreover, there are huge risks linked to pregnancy, as COVID-19 can bring adverse outcomes to pregnant women. Nervousness influences hormones; cortisol and adrenaline levels might increase and develop neurotic disorders. Nevertheless, physical exercise, healthy eating habits, and meditation decrease female stress levels.
References
Mattioli, A. V., Sciomer, S., Maffei, S., & Gallina, S. (2020). Lifestyle and stress management in women during COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on cardiovascular risk burden.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(3), 356–359.
Medina-Jimenez, V., Bermudez-Rojas, M. D. L. L., Murillo-Bargas, H., Rivera-Camarillo, A. C., Muñoz-Acosta, J., Ramirez-Abarca, T. G., Esparza-Valencia, D. M., Angeles-Torres, A. C., Lara-Avila, L., Hernandez-Muñoz, V. A., Madrigal-Tejeda, F. J., Estudillo-Jimenez, G. E., Jacobo-Enciso, L. M., Torres-Torres, J., Espino-y-Sosa, S., Baltazar-Martinez, M., Villanueva-Calleja, J., Nava-Sanchez, A. E., Mendoza-Carrera, C. E.,… Martinez-Portilla, R. J. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression and stress levels in pregnant women: a national survey during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.The Journal of Maternal-Fetal &Amp; Neonatal Medicine, 35(23), 4438–4441.
Stepowicz, A., Wencka, B., Bieńkiewicz, J., Horzelski, W., & Grzesiak, M. (2020). Stress and anxiety levels in pregnant and post-partum women during the COVID-19 pandemic.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 1-9.