What’s “Normal” for Women’s Mental Health?
By: Cree Jones, LMFT
A Compassionate, Hilarious, and Real Guide to the Emotional Olympics Women Run Daily
If women disappeared for 24 hours, the world would absolutely fall apart.
Bills wouldn’t get paid.
Kids wouldn’t get to school.
Nations would crumble.
Whole ecosystems would collapse.
And yet… women are constantly told they’re “too emotional,” “too sensitive,” or “overthinking again.”
Let’s talk about what’s actually normal for women’s mental health — because women handle more invisible pressure in a single week than most people realize.
1. Feeling Mentally Exhausted Even When You Haven’t Done “Enough”
Women carry:
emotional labor
family stress
unpaid responsibilities
relationship maintenance
work expectations
everyone’s moods
the mental load of remembering EVERYTHING
Of course you’re tired.
This isn’t laziness.
This is carrying the weight of three people while pretending it’s nothing.
Your mind is working overtime — give it grace.
2. Anxiety That Comes Out of Nowhere (And Everywhere)
Women often experience:
racing thoughts
future-based anxiety
“Did I say that weird?” anxiety
“I’m overwhelmed but I can’t slow down” anxiety
“Everyone is relying on me” anxiety
This is normal when you’ve been raised to:
be responsible
be polite
not upset anyone
not ask for help
not rest without guilt
Your anxiety is not irrational —
it’s a response to constant expectations.
3. Overthinking Is Basically a Skill Set at This Point
Women don’t just think.
We analyze, interpret, decode, unpack, replay, and reimagine situations until we’ve created an entire internal documentary.
And yes, it’s exhausting.
But it’s also the same superpower that helps women:
predict emotional shifts
read the room
support others
catch red flags
avoid danger
run households
manage relationships
Your mind is doing pattern recognition — just on overdrive.
4. Mood Swings That Make Zero Sense Except They Actually Do
Hormones + stress + mental load =
The emotional version of a rollercoaster built by toddlers.
One minute:
“I love life. Everything is beautiful.”
The next:
“Why is the cereal bag being loud? WHO DESIGNED THIS?”
This isn’t instability.
This is biology mixed with a lifetime of pressure.
Your emotions aren’t wrong — they’re signals.
5. Feeling Guilty for Needing Help, Rest, Space, or Support
Women often feel guilty for:
taking a break
not being productive
saying no
setting boundaries
feeling overwhelmed
not meeting everyone’s expectations
But guilt doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.
It means you’re breaking old rules — rules that told you to shrink, to please, to carry more.
You’re allowed to need things.
You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to ask for help.
You’re allowed to be human.
6. Having High Empathy — Which Is a Blessing and a Burden
Women often:
absorb others’ emotions
feel responsible for everyone’s comfort
carry pain that doesn’t belong to them
internalize stress from people they love
This is why boundaries matter.
Your empathy is beautiful —
but it doesn’t mean you have to become everyone’s emotional sponge.
7. Feeling Sad, Lonely, or Burned Out Even When Life “Looks Good”
Women often judge themselves by thinking:
“I don’t have it bad enough to feel this way.”
But mental health isn’t measured by:
how busy you are
how strong you appear
how good your life looks on paper
You’re allowed to struggle quietly.
You’re allowed to feel what you feel without comparing it to someone else’s suffering.
Your pain does not need permission.
8. Healing Is Not Linear — It’s More Like a GPS That Keeps Recalculating
Some days you’re thriving.
Some days you’re surviving.
Both count.
Healing looks like:
small steps
good days and hard days
choosing yourself
breaking old patterns
learning your worth
resting without guilt
letting people earn access to you
building a life that doesn’t drain you
If you’re trying at all, you’re doing better than you think.
A Final Truth About Women’s Mental Health
Women are not “too emotional.”
Women are chronically overstimulated, under-supported, overworked, and expected to be superhuman while pretending it’s easy.
Your mental health reactions are not overreactions.
They are appropriate responses to the weight you carry.
Your strength is real.
Your sensitivity is wisdom.
Your empathy is power.
Your boundaries are protection.
Your rest is necessary.
Your feelings are valid.
Your mind is doing its best in a world that demands too much.
And you — exactly as you are — are completely normal and absolutely enough.