If you’re a woman over 60 experiencing anxiety you’re not alone! Anxiety is widespread among women who are aging. However, anxiety that gets in the way of living a productive, satisfying life is not normal.
Did you know…?
- Women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety as men, especially as they age.
- Women may experience more acute signs of anxiety than men.
- Women often don’t understand the harm anxiety is causing.
Why Women 60+ Experience Anxiety
Aging women often deal with transitions involving significant changes. These include shifts in housing arrangements, financial security, marital and family relationships, debilitating or chronic illnesses and social life. The death of a loved one may prompt long-term stress and anxiety. Even retirement can cause anxiety if you experience a loss of identity and purpose.
Of course, it’s normal for women who go through life transitions to experience some stress. It’s important for you to identify whether you are just having some typical concerns or you are truly going through a hard time and facing anxiety that can have a negative impact on your health, relationships and your whole life.
Signs of Anxiety
If you are experiencing anxiety, you may be…
- Nervous or “on edge”
- Overwhelmed
- Fearful, worried or filled with dread
- Suffering gastrointestinal problems
- Feeling weak or exhausted
Perhaps you’ve been told this is just “all in your head.”
What you really want is to be taken seriously and not labeled as silly, irrational or hysterical. You want to be listened to in a safe space with no judgment. You want support and understanding.
And most of all you want to calm down and relax. You want to be able to sleep well, eat well, and feel well. You want to get rid of obsessive thoughts and think clearly. And you want to do away with fears and overwhelming worst-case scenarios.
Becoming Free of Anxiety Means 3 Things
#1: Admitting That Anxiety IS in Your Head (But Not in an Off-Putting Way)
Thoughts cause anxiety. What you think makes a huge difference in how you feel and act.
You need to realize that you don’t have to believe everything your mind tells you. Thoughts are just thoughts, but they are often negative and fear generating. You can learn how to change your thoughts to positive ideas that create better feelings and constructive actions.
#2: Admitting You Have a Choice to Make
You must decide what to do about your negative thoughts. Your options are:
a) to keep hanging on to nasty, negative thoughts and suffer,
b) to toss self-defeating thoughts away or perhaps bury them, and
c) to change worrying thoughts to more positive, affirming, hopeful thoughts that will reduce your anxiety and help you calm down.
You have a choice. It’s up to you.
#3: Admitting That You Need Support
Making substantial changes or transitions in your life typically requires support and encouragement. This is true for your thought life too. Why go it alone? Negativity tends to have roots in our past experiences, and you need support to be able to let go of anxiety and turn a corner towards positivity.
I Just Did These 3 Things
After a significant transition that involved moving to live near our children and grandchildren and leaving my home, my friends, my community and my life as a professor and pastor behind, I went through a difficult time. It took me to an anxious, fearful place.
Finally, I realized and admitted that I needed to do all of the above steps. I decided to get support from someone I trusted about my anxious thoughts and fears. The careful listening, understanding, and support I received prompted a big shift in my thinking. I was able to take clear action and feel better.
Now I’m helping other women manage anxiety as they go through significant transitions in their lives.
What Will You Admit and Decide?
As I wrote in the beginning, it’s normal to feel some stress during transitions, but if you are truly experiencing anxiety that is having a negative impact on your life, I hope you will get help to manage it. You deserve it.
Join me for my FREE video session on How to Become Anxiety Free. Watch it here.
Additional resources: Gender Differences in Anxiety Disorders: Prevalence, Course of Illness, Comorbidity and Burden of Illness.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How is anxiety affecting your life after 60? Does it stop you from doing things you love? How does it interfere with your normal lifestyle?
