High-Achieving Women Need A Private Sanctuary To Decompress

Over the past decades, work culture has elevated the girl-boss, the SHE-O, and the highly productive woman as ideals to aspire to. Still, as this evolves, we’ve discovered that the workplace system and structure are not designed for us, ultimately leading to added stress and pressure. 

Deloitte’s Women at Work Global Outlook reported that only half of the women (51%) had good mental health. While 36% said that their stress levels are higher than a year ago.

Similarly, another study shows that most women (92%) are not thriving at work, and 42% said they are either surviving or burnt out. Women continue to experience increased levels of stress in the workplace, thereby highlighting the need for an avenue to reduce this stress. But to understand why women need that, we need to ask: where is this stress and pressure coming from?

As a woman in a workplace not designed for you, trying to strike a balance between your career and personal life can lead to increased stress and anxiety. More so as a woman who has to balance their career with fulfilling traditional household and caregiving roles. The lack of adequate support systems, such as affordable childcare and flexible work arrangements, exacerbates these challenges. 

Women are set to face gender-based discrimination consciously and unconsciously as they advance in their corporate careers. They often face double expectations in the workplace, where they are expected to exhibit both traditionally masculine traits (e.g., assertiveness, decisiveness) and traditionally feminine traits (e.g., warmth, nurturing). Trying to display both can be challenging and particularly unnecessary. 

Globally, women earn about 20% less than men, and this disparity makes financial equality an ongoing challenge. Organizations have to review and address this structurally to ensure equitable salaries and benefits.

According to McKinsey & Company research, microaggressions are much more common among women than among men, especially among marginalized women such as women of color and women with disabilities.  This undoubtedly increases work stress and anxiety.

Women also face limited access to resources and opportunities such as funding, education, and mentor sponsorship, especially when compared to their peers. This can make it difficult for them to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their career.

In 1929, Virginia Woolf wrote that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction,” and almost a century later, this remains true for women in several other vocations and industries.

Studies confirm that solitude and personal sanctuaries cut stress and perceived pressure, with women reporting amplified relief from work and life demands. So women need space, not just to rest, but to think, to decompress, and to reimagine the life that is theirs.

To Decompress: Women need their space to exhale, process the weight of daily expectations, and release the stress and anxiety that constantly accumulates. A sanctuary provides a protected environment to feel without performance, leading to an emotional and restorative release, helping them return to the world less depleted.

To Collect Their Thoughts: Women need their own room to continue to cultivate their thoughts and reenvision their identity and creativity. Creativity requires emptiness, slowness, and uninterrupted thought, which cannot be accessed in the workplace and sometimes in our homes. Whether writing, designing, journaling, reading, or simply imagining, a sanctuary creates the stillness from which original thinking can emerge.

For Community: Women who specifically seek out communities for safety. These spaces allow women to express themselves with less fear of criticism, harassment, or being talked over. These spaces nurture a communal bond, empowering women with confidence-building and providing thecrucial support needed to navigate life’s hurdles.

Solo Retreats 

There’s something magical that happens when you step away and immerse yourself in a new environment designed for reflection and growth. Solo retreats alleviate stress. These spaces offer a deliberate reprieve from the doing of daily life, emphasizing the act of being instead. From hiking trips to spa days, there are multiple ways to relieve stress through solo trips. 

Targeted Rest Retreats 

There are dedicated wellness retreats that offer immersive environments specifically designed to remove the daily pressures of work and life, particularly focusing on nature and mindfulness. For instance, mental health-focused retreats in places like Big Sur (e.g., Esalen Institute) provide spaces where the focus is entirely on rest and emotional safety. Others leverage natural settings such as forests, coastal areas, or quiet grounds to encourage restorative practices like walking, meditation, or simple solitude.

Community Retreats

You can find a personal sanctuary through shared experiences, where validation and understanding are provided by a community of peers. Community-based safe spaces, including virtual groups, mentorship circles, or dedicated organizations, can act as powerful emotional sanctuaries. Being in a space where others simply nod and say “I get it”  can alleviate the isolation that frequently exacerbates stress and burnout.

Integrating Sanctuary Into Daily Life

To do so more regularly, it’s better to create daily pockets of a personal sanctuary, which requires intentionally claiming space and time for rest. Carve out non-negotiable time for reflection, creative pursuits, or silence, treating these as fundamental necessities.