As a voice specialist, I have found that 95% of my female clientele experience soreness in their neck and shoulder regions by the end of the day. Some women complain of a sore jaw as well.
Having worked with thousands of people, it is interesting to note that I have had only a handful of male clientele who complain of pain in these areas.
PRESSURE SORES
Why the difference?
Because we women carry our stress differently than men; and, we tend to become more aware of it by the end of the day. While I haven't done a controlled study on the subject, I have found that the stress men carry (if they carry any stress at all) is more likely to affect them in their digestive tract: it is a medical fact that men are more susceptible to peptic ulcers than women.
I would also venture to say that the mothers of the Baby Boomer generation did not experience the tremendous amount of stress that we women of that 'infamous' generation (as well as younger women) do today.
Again, why the difference?
Because our lifestyles have changed drastically since that of our parents or our grandparents; and, we are now faced with not only the stress that comes from raising children and managing a household but the tremendous pressure placed on us by our careers or jobs.
To say that our stress has doubled would be a mistake. Ladies, our stress is ten times greater than earlier generations because of our lifestyle. Raising children is much harder today than it was in the past because we physically spend less time with our children but place more attention on them when we are together.
Look at it this way: for the stay-at-home mom who oversees her kids' whereabouts throughout the day, there is not the same pressure on her to 'give attention to her children' as there is for the mom who picks up her children from daycare and then has to provide dinner, do the laundry, run some errands, take the kids to soccer or baseball practice, give them a bath, read to them, etc. The list goes on and on. And that list is considered the 'small' stuff. We women are built to sweat the small stuff because we are geared for multi-tasking; however, add to our multi-tasking, the problems of the job or the career and we are on overload. It really is too much. And, while statisticians may be concerned about where they're going to put all of us retiring Baby Boomers, I question if our stress won't kill us before it's time for relocation to the retirement center.
Generally speaking, men are not good at multi-tasking: they are built to tackle the problems encountered in their jobs or their careers, that which is considered the 'big stuff'. [I know I am being politically incorrect here but the truth is the truth. If women and men were the same, I would have men with sore necks and shoulders and a lot more women with ulcers!]
So how do we combat this tension? There are so many courses, books, and CDs on alleviating, reducing, eliminating and dealing with stress and yet most of these programs do not emphasize the most important thing you can do. Better negotiation or organization of your time is certainly an option but it will not stop the ache in your shoulders or neck until you do one very simple thing: learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm and I guarantee you will notice a tremendous difference in how you deal with stress, in how you can eliminate more of your stress, and how you can actually feel good by the end of the day.
In Parts II and III, I will discuss the proper means of diaphragmatic breathing and show you how a simple change in your breathing pattern can have a profound impact on your life, both professionally and personally.
Ladies, Are Your Neck and Shoulders Sore by the End of the Day? Part 1 PRESSURE SORES
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