Spirituality brings strength to women under stress.

Women hold themselves to higher standards. While striving to prove themselves in a workplace designed for men, they still carry most of the responsibility for home and family. Stress is a constant companion for many.

Our bodies aren't built for chronic stress. The spurt of adrenalin, the racing heartbeat, the rapid breathing of a fight-or-flight response: They're great at infusing us with the resources we need to get away from a hungry tiger. But when they linger day after day, they take a toll on our physical, mental and emotional health.

Spirituality is a rich source of strength for coping with stress, especially for women, according to Dr. Bettie Bertram. A supervisor of special education and English as a second language for the Upper Adams School District in Biglerville PA, she spoke at the University of Nebraska's conference on Women in Educational Leadership in Lincoln in October.

Spirituality comes from spiritus, the Latin word for breath. Breathing slowly and deeply calms the spirit. We pause for breath before trying something scary, saying something difficult or blowing up at a colleague.

In breathing we send out what is within us and draw in support from beyond ourselves. We connect with a larger context beyond ourselves. Breath is a metaphor for spirituality, which is notoriously hard to define.

Bertram uses the term spirituality in its existential sense to refer to a feeling of meaning and purpose--what we do while we're here. Some see spirituality as an underlying thread; others call it a filter through which they see the world. It doesn't have to involve a deity or a religious tradition.

"For me, spirituality is an action verb," she told WIHE. "The knowledge of spiritual laws is fantastic but it doesn't give strength 'til you put it into action."