Stress. It's an epidemic. Modern mums are juggling kids, work, housework, finances, partners, friends and ageing parents. Throw in keeping fit and trying to squeeze in a social life - it's no wonder women are buckling.

An Australian survey last year found 10 per cent of mums with kids under six are highly stressed, compared to only 4.7 per cent of dads. And about 15 per cent of single mums are finding it hard to cope, says the report from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Yummy mummy guilt

'I think a lot of mums' stress comes from a feeling of guilt,' psychologist Meredith Fuller says. ‘Working mums feel guilty for going to work and stay-at-home mums feel guilty because they don't go to work. And there's the stress created by celebrity yummy mummies. Celebs get their bodies back quickly after having a baby. But unlike celebs, most women don't have an entourage to help them do the many jobs a mother has to do.'

The stress effect

What's stress doing to our minds and bodies? Signs of stress can range from a dry mouth, blurred vision, palpitations and high blood pressure to nausea, headaches, sweating and feeling irritable and out of control.

When we're stressed our body releases cortisol, a hormone that increases our appetite and can lead to weight gain, says Dr Shawn Talbott a nutritional biochemist at the University of Utah and author of The Cortisol Connection ($27.95, Hunter House).

'Even thinking about something stressful floods our body with cortisol. If we have a lot of this hormone for too long it causes obesity which may lead to diabetes and heart disease,' Dr Talbott says.

Professor Murray Esler of the Baker Heart Research Institute says people who are stressed and depressed are two to five times more likely to have a heart attack.

'During ongoing chronic stress or during sudden acute stress, part of the automatic nervous system is activated. This makes your heart race and blood pressure surge,' he says.

'After several years of consistent high blood pressure, the arteries are damaged and you become a walking time bomb.'

Calming Top 10

If you're feeling the pressure, try these 10 simple techniques to help calm down

1. Have a bath
Switch off the phone and fill your bath with a blend of lemon balm, camomile and St John's wort oils. Lemon balm contains chemicals called terpenes that have a relaxing effect.

2. Cut the coffee
Have no more than two cups of coffee a day to keep cortisol under control.

3. Don't super-size stress
'At night women lie in bed and worry about what they said or didn't say, or what they did or didn't do,' says Dr Mandy Deeks, psychologist at the Jean Hailes Foundation. So, picture a stop sign in your mind as you get in to bed. Or write down why you're stressed and tell yourself you'll deal with that list tomorrow.

4. Get stressed sometimes
'Why should you cope all the time?' asks psychologist Meredith Fuller. 'Know there are times in life when you'll feel glad and others when you'll feel sad and mad. That's just being real.'

5. Ask for help
'Drop the mask of coping all the time,' Meredith says. 'Have a group of friends who you can fall in a heap with and simply
say: "I need help and a hug."'

6. Go on a mental vacation
When you feel stress building, visualise a peaceful place. See the beach, feel the summer breeze and hear the waves lapping on the sand.

7. Chew licorice
Herbal licorice contains chemicals that inhibit the stress reaction of cortisol produced by your adrenal glands. Snack on about five grams three times a day. But avoid herbal licorice if you have high blood pressure.

8. Breathe deeply
Take deep breaths. Slowing your breathing slows your stressed mind.

9. Have a snack
The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in the US says that around 4.30pm our blood sugar and energy levels drop and we're more prone to a stress attack. So have a healthy afternoon snack, such as fruit or nuts.

10. Say 'no'
'When you say "yes" all the time you pile on commitments,' Dr Deeks says. 'You'll end up physically and emotionally burnt out.'

 

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