"Superwoman Syndrome" Is Feeding Hormone Imbalances & Early Menopause

A lengthy to-do list, a burning urge to optimize every area of your life, and a quarter of the time necessary to do so—these are just some of the thoughts weighing on the mind of someone struggling with "superwoman syndrome."

Bhatia declares that women today are one of the most stressed generations. "We're trying to do it all," she says. This constant pressure to achieve perfection in every avenue of life is the essence of "superwoman syndrome," and oftentimes, it's simply not sustainable.

See, stress increases a hormone called cortisol, which leads to what's known as a "cortisol spike." This happens not only when you feel stereotypical overwhelm (like a longer to-do list than time in the day) but also feelings of anger, worry, or grief, Bhatia says. 

More specifically, a 2018 study showed that extreme stress can trigger a ninefold increase in cortisol 1compared to a state of relaxation.

Of course, offloading your plate wherever possible may be the first step to easing stress. But it's equally important to add items to your to-do list that relieve stress and positively contribute to your mental health, hormonal health, and, in turn, your overall health. Bhatia refers to this process as your very own "checks and balances" system. 

Bhatia suggests common examples like yoga, a walk in the park, daily journaling, and regular mindfulness practice. But don't just schedule in activities other people consider relaxing—search for personally fulfilling moments instead. If you have a few minutes, consider writing down a few activities you know bring you peace so it's easy to pick next time you have a free block of time. 

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you do; just making a relaxing activity part of your priorities is the lesson here. Think of the scheduling as a preemptive act of self-care.

"[Find] something that really refills you, so that stress, trauma, and all of these other things that life can throw in our way doesn't completely crash your endocrine system," she reiterates. 

So the next time you look at your calendar, take note of how many to-do items are just for you and your endocrine system—if there aren't at least a few dedicated activities or moments each week for winding down, try to schedule them in wherever they fit.