On International Women’s Day, public debates often focus on professional equality, violence, representation and economic independence. However, one topic is still too often overlooked: women’s mental health.
Invisible, silent, sometimes shameful, it nevertheless permeates all areas of life: work, family, relationships, motherhood, loneliness, social pressure. Behind their multiple roles and the constant pressure to ‘keep going’, many women struggle with profound emotional fatigue.
Talking about mental health is not talking about fragility. It is talking about human reality. I know this because this reality was mine for nearly 18 years, marked by catatonic depression. An experience that taught me how much the words we use (stress, anxiety, depression…) can sometimes mask much deeper suffering.
The invisible burden carried by women
Women’s mental health is often caught in a paradox. They are expected to be resilient, organised, present, emotionally available, high-performing and stable. This accumulation of expectations creates a diffuse but constant pressure.
Domestic mental load, family responsibilities, professional instability, symbolic or actual violence, social demands around body image, success or motherhood: these are all factors that can undermine mental balance.
Yet this suffering is often minimised. We talk about fatigue, difficult periods, temporary overload… Rarely about deep exhaustion. Even less about illness. This collective denial contributes to delaying awareness and, therefore, the necessary support.
Stress, anxiety, depression: different realities
In everyday language, these three terms are often used interchangeably. However, they refer to distinct psychological experiences.
- Stress is a normal bodily reaction to pressure. It can be temporary, even useful, mobilising the energy needed to cope with a situation. But when it becomes chronic, it exhausts the body and weakens emotional balance.
- Anxiety, on the other hand, is long-lasting. It corresponds to a state of almost permanent alertness, an anticipation of danger, sometimes without any identifiable cause. It can invade everyday life, altering sleep, concentration and the ability to plan ahead calmly.
- Finally, Depression goes far beyond sadness. It is a profound disorder that affects vital energy, self-perception, motivation, and sometimes even the ability to perform the simplest tasks.
In its catatonic form, depression can lead to extreme sluggishness of the body and mind, as if everything were frozen from within. Understanding these distinctions is not just a matter of vocabulary. It is an essential step in recognising the seriousness of a situation and directing the person towards appropriate help.
My journey: living frozen for 18 years
For a long time, I didn’t have the words to describe what I was going through. I only knew that something inside me was heavy, slow, sometimes almost immobile. Where others seemed to move forward with ease, every decision required an immense effort on my part.
Catatonic depression does not always resemble the image we have of mental suffering. It can be silent, invisible, internal. One can continue to function on the surface, while being deeply frozen inside.
Like many women, I continued to cope, to work, to meet expectations. Because we learn early on to hold on, not to disturb, not to show our flaws. But this silence comes at a cost. The healing process was not a spectacular moment. It was gradual, made up of realisations, support, introspection, and a journey of reconnecting with myself.
It is this journey that I have chosen to share in my book Un Souffle, Une Harmonie (One Breath, One Harmony), not as a universal truth, but as a testimony: that of a transition from immobility to movement, from silence to speech.
Breaking the taboo: talking to heal
One of the major obstacles to mental health remains the taboo surrounding it. Many women are still reluctant to seek help, talk about their problems, or even acknowledge their suffering. They fear being judged as weak, fear the consequences at work, or fear not being understood.
Yet talking plays a fundamental role. Naming what we feel already helps us break out of our inner isolation. It opens up the possibility of support, whether therapeutic, medical, spiritual, community-based, or relational.
Mental health is not limited to a diagnosis. It affects our environment, our pace of life, our relationships, and the meaning we give to our existence. Creating safe spaces (in society, in businesses, in families, in the media, etc.) is a collective responsibility. Because no one should have to suffer in silence in order to conform to social expectations.
Making mental health a genuine right
Recognising mental health as a key issue is an important step towards a fairer society.
This means:
- normalising the use of psychological support
- integrating mental health into public and professional policies
- raising awareness from an early age
- valuing rest, balance and respect for boundaries
- viewing vulnerability not as a weakness, but as a human trait
For women in particular, this also means questioning social norms that glorify silent endurance and the ability to carry everything. Taking care of your mental health is not a privilege, it is a necessity. Above all, it is a right.
Putting words to transform pain
On this International Women’s Day, talking about mental health means remembering that equality is not just about visible rights, but also about inner well-being. Behind every word such as stress, anxiety and depression lies a lived reality that is often complex and sometimes invisible. Understanding these words is the first step towards recognising suffering. And recognising suffering paves the way for healing.
If this forum can contribute, even in a small way, to encouraging people to speak out, to listen or to remind someone that they are not alone, then it will have fulfilled its role. Because sometimes, it all starts with simply daring to name what you are going through… And accepting that asking for help is also a sign of strength.
If you are going through a difficult time, you are not alone. Talking is an essential first step. You can contact 3114 (the national suicide prevention helpline in France, free 24 hours a day), a healthcare professional, or a specialist organisation such as SOS Amitié, France Dépression or Psycom. In the event of an immediate emergency, dial 15 or go to the nearest A&E department.
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