From fluctuating hormones to pregnancy, and from postpartum to menopause, women face unique stressors that can contribute to emotional dysregulation and mental health challenges.

But behavioral health practices can help, according to Amy Goodwin, a licensed professional counselor and behavioral health counselor at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center.

“Through steps such as developing healthy stress management, fostering a healthy lifestyle and being intentional with internal dialogues, we can decrease the intensity of emotional dysregulation and not get lost within the distress,” Goodwin said.

Challenges unique to women

Various life changes have distinct impacts for women. Perinatal mood disorders are among one of the most common complications that occur during pregnancy and the first year after giving birth, with one in five women experiencing perinatal or postpartum depression.

“There’s so much pressure about being happy after the birth of a child that sometimes it’s hard to talk about how it can also be dramatic and confusing,” Goodwin said. “Hormonal changes cloud your thinking, there’s a lack of sleep, there’s the pressure of having such a vulnerable baby relying on you. Basically, life as you know it has changed, and that’s a giant shift in identity.”

For women who want to get pregnant but aren’t able to, the emotional stress can be intense, while hormonal fluctuations through perimenopause and menopause can bring a range of symptoms such as depression, anxiety and brain fog.

Also, certain gynecological disorders, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome and chronic pelvic pain, can affect quality of life and contribute to emotional distress, sometimes leading to depression and anxiety.

Hope through behavioral health

Simply talking with a therapist can help with processing through emotions.

“Just hearing our internal dialogue, our brain has an amazing capacity for helping itself and restructuring around more effective thinking patterns,” Goodwin said. “The human brain and body have a powerful instinct to work towards the creation of homeostasis. If we can practice and participate in health care strategies, we’re allowing these systems to work more effectively.”

Recognizing and embracing a range of emotions can also be vital to supporting mental health. That can be challenging in today’s culture, which doesn’t always encourage feeling and understanding emotions.

“There’s such a gap in understanding the neuroscience of our emotions,” Goodwin said. “Emotions are a direct communication to us and for us. If we can learn what our emotions are trying to tell us, we’re happier. If you ignore the early emotional communications of stress and distress, they can escalate and become much more difficult to deal with. Like the Chinese proverb says, ‘The cat ignored becomes a tiger.'”

Additional steps can be taken to reduce stress, such as exercising regularly, eating healthfully and avoiding alcohol, which Goodwin points out disrupts the endocrine system and can cause inflammation.

“There are behavioral health strategies we can develop to help regulate these hormonal changes because they are sensitive to the inflammation processes as well,” Goodwin said.

While medications can be an important part of treatment, Goodwin encourages patients to seek a well-rounded treatment approach.

“Most emotional disorders associated with emotional dysregulation are best addressed with a combination of medicine, cognitive processing and learning effective mood management skills,” Goodwin said.

Getting help

Signs that someone may be struggling include crying more than usual, tiredness or fatigue, insomnia, isolation, sudden weight gain or loss, rapid or dramatic mood swings, and a condition called anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure.

Goodwin encourages women not to ignore symptoms, and to bring up any concerns with their primary care provider.

“Your doctor can’t help with things about which he or she doesn’t know,” Goodwin said. “Understanding the mind-body connection helps address the whole person.”

Susan Cunningham writes for UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. She can be reached at cunninghamsbc@gmail.com.