Women have a difficult time in this world. We always have. It’s not that men always have it easy, but as women we seem to get an especially difficult load of “stuff.”
Yes, this post is especially for women. First of all, I am one. Second, I’m an OB-Gyn physician, so the patients I see and care for are women. Men have their issues, but this is about you and me, girlfriend!
Just think of all the things we have to worry about:
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- Periods every month for up to 40 years, with their associated inconvenience and the physical and mental symptoms than come with them.
- Pregnancy. As one of my step-daughters said, “Growing a human is hard work!”
- No pregnancy. Infertility is not exclusively a female concern, but we certainly carry the brunt of the physical and emotional load when this becomes a problem.
- Preventing pregnancy. Whether fair or not, decisions and use of contraception fall mostly on our shoulders.
- Hormones changes. Whether it’s PMS, postpartum depression, or menopause, women’s dramatic hormone changes stir up a whole host of issues.
- Getting older. Yes, men and women both get old, but there are a number of diseases that disproportionately affect senior women.
As if those issues weren’t enough, we women are usually the ones making decisions that affect not only us but everyone in our families:
- Finding the best ways to pay for healthcare (health insurance decisions, etc.)
- Deciding when, where, and how to connect with the healthcare system
- Choosing what lifestyle habits, supplements, or other DIY health behaviors to incorporate
Of course men can make these choices also. But it’s well known that women make the majority of the health and healthcare decisions in the family. And that’s a big responsibility.
Then there’s another set of personal stresses women carry that may or may not be unique to them:
- Managing multiple time pressures and energy drains
- Maintaining positive mental health habits even with hormonal changes
- Wrestling with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and other such challenges
- Connecting with your husband (if you’re married)
- Teaching your daughter what it means to be a woman
- Wrestling with how your faith impacts the ethical decisions all these pressures involve
Men aren’t off the hook, but it sure seems that we have the biggest load of “stuff” to carry. And our health can take a beating as a result. We may live longer than men on average, but are we living the best quality of lives that we can?
I believe women are the stronger sex. We have to be! If not, there would be no babies. Men would die young, live in much dirtier surroundings, and eat nothing but fast food. (Of course I exaggerate, but you get the point.)
So what does that mean for you?
It means that your choices make an extraordinarily big difference – for both you, and your family.
Your decision to take charge of your health – and your healthcare – will reap amazing dividends for both you and those you care about.
As a woman, you have more power than you think. And it’s time to use that power wisely, and to its maximum effectiveness.
In my previous message to you, I talked about how nobody cares as much about your health (or any other part of your life, for that matter) as you do. It really is up to you.
And now, I want you to realize how important it is for you as a woman to make the decision to take charge – of everything that’s within your power to do so. That’s not taking charge of other people, but of everything over which you have decision-making ability.
And that’s a lot more than you may realize. You have more choices than you think.
This really is STEP ONE in learning to live FULLY ALIVE – the kind of life that Jesus came to bring you and me.
There’s a huge part of living out that FULLY ALIVE life that God makes available to us that depends on you. More on that will be coming up in the next few messages.
Just think, right now, about what your life, and that of your family, will be like in a year, or five years, if you do nothing different. What do you see coming? How healthy are you physically? What is your emotional life like? What is the quality of your relationships? Is that a picture you’re happy with? If so, GREAT!
If not, then it’s up to you to decide to TAKE CHARGE! Nobody can do it for you.
And in the next few messages, I’ll talk more about what that looks like, and help you do it.
For today, won’t you make this pledge?!
I choose, under God, to TAKE CHARGE of my life and my health.
And leave a comment below about what it is in your life that YOU are choosing to take charge of. I’d love to hear from you!
This is the second in a series of messages helping you see how you can take charge of your health, and take those first most important steps in doing so. If you’re already getting our emails, there’s nothing you need to worry about. But if not, you don’t want to miss out! Simply add your email address right here you’ll get the rest of these messages over the next several days to help you take those critical first steps to being FULLY ALIVE!
Do you want to live FULLY ALIVE?
There are simple steps you can take EVERY DAY that will propel you forward in experiencing the kind of life you want, and that God wants for you physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
Get your FREE Resource Guide now: 7 Keys to Living Fully Alive – from the Inside Out.
