How do men and women deal with stress?

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) - Does that old line men are from Mars and women are from Venus hold when it comes to dealing with stress in 2012. Do women let it all out and men simply go silent? Well it depends on who you talk to and it's not always just about your gender. Experts say it has a lot to do with your hormones.

Stress can smack you anytime, anywhere, but especially on the job and depending on what that job is you will feel it more than others. Some of the most stressful jobs of 2012 include police officers, firefighters and enlisted soldiers. We spoke to two Southfield Police Officers, Kasell James and Jared Womble who both said working as police officers is one of the most stressful things they've ever done. James was a narcotics officer in Detroit and constantly put his life on the line. Womble says he too faced quite a bit of stress but often worked side by side with female officers who handled stress just the same as men. Both Kasell and Womble who now work for high schools in Southfield feel fortunate they can touch the lives of young kids who find themselves in trouble.

Psychiatrist Dr. Bella Schanzer of the V.A. Hospital of Detroit says there is something to the theory of men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Dr. Schanzer says men typically handle stress differently.  She says women are allowed to express themselves emotionally while men still feel the need to bottle things up. Dr. Schanzer also says hormones play a role in how we deal with stress.  Whether we overact to situations or run away from stress or stay and battle a situation head on.

Another stressful job is one of an enlisted soldier and we had the opportunity to speak to women who were on the front lines of war in Afghanistan as emergency room nurses. Michele Corker who works for the V.A. Hospital in Detroit told us the most stressful part of her job was leaving behind four children.  While she was away performing her duties as an ER nurse in Iraq her son battled cancer, her daughter had a baby, and life moved on without her.  Corker says the most difficult part was returning home to a family that was functioning without her.

Finally, we spoke to a young woman who has been married for three years, but her husband is a soldier in Afghanistan.  Amber Kelly says it's difficult remaining home and dealing with stress while her husband fights in the war.  She says he has promised her he is coming home alive so she doesn't allow her mind to consider him dying, but she worries about injuries or how he will be once he returns from the war.  Meantime she balances her stress by staying close to her parents and skyping and texting with her husband twice daily.

Dr. Schanzer says if stress is so bad, there are always medications available, but instead of medications she always recommends physical and mental techniques to relieve your stress. She recommends you close your eyes and breathe in from your nose and blow out from your mouth.  She says this exercise will slow your heart rate and calm you down almost immediately.