Executive Summary
Existing research suggests that women spend a greater part of their lives in poor health compared to men, highlighting substantial unmet needs in how women’s health is understood and addressed (McKinsey Health Institute, 2024). Conditions associated with hormonal and physiological changes, including premenstrual symptoms, migraine, and depressive symptoms, contribute substantially to the overall burden on women’s health (McKinsey Health Institute, 2024). Medical research has historically relied on male bodies as the default research model, resulting in persistent gaps in evidence related to women’s health experiences (Beery & Zucker, 2011; NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, n.d.).This study examines how women interpret and respond to periods of “not feeling their best,” focusing on daily wellbeing rather than clinical diagnosis.Findings suggest that women are already trying to manage how they feel, frequently reflecting on possible causes and practicing a range of coping strategies such as journaling, talking to others, searching for information, and lifestyle adjustments. Over half of participants reported taking action within the past week to improve or better understand how they felt. However, effort does not consistently translate into understanding, predictability, or reliable relief, and increasing the number of coping strategies is not associated with better outcomes.Structured approaches that support pattern recognition, such as tracking tools, appear associated with relatively favorable perceived effectiveness but remain underutilized. While reflective approaches like journaling and talking to someone are widely used and often perceived as helpful, many participants report ongoing uncertainty about underlying causes and difficulty identifying which actions work reliably over time. Participants frequently describe wanting clearer expanations for why they feel the way they do, as well as greater confidence in anticipating changes in how they might feel in the future.Together, the findings suggest that women are already investing substantial effort in managing daily fluctuations in wellbeing, but may benefit from forms of support that enable clearer interpretation of patterns in how they feel and more effective responses over time.
1. About Research
In February 2026, Saela conducted a structured consumer survey of 250 women in the United States to better understand how individual women experience, interpret, and respond to everyday fluctuations in their physical and mental state. The survey was distributed through Pollfish, a consumer research platform backed by Prodege's first-party audience panel, and targeted female respondents aged 18 and older.
Many women experience periods in which they do not feel physically or mentally at their best. These experiences may include fluctuations in energy, focus, mood, or general wellbeing. While a range of coping strategies exist, less is known about how individuals actually respond to these experiences in everyday life, and whether the strategies they use support meaningful understanding and relief.
The survey consisted of 16 questions examining:
1. frequency of fluctuations in how participants feel
2. how participants interpret these fluctuations
3. what actions do they take to improve or understand
4. how they feel participants’ perceived effectiveness of the strategies they used
5. participants’ thoughts on anticipating future fluctuations
6. What would they want to be different in order to better support them?
This research focuses on collecting subjective experiences of “not feeling one's best” rather than clinical diagnosis, in order to better understand how individual women interpret and respond to everyday variability in wellbeing. In this report, wellbeing refers to a holistic state encompassing physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning, as well as an individual’s perceived ability to navigate daily life with a sense of balance and capability (Dodge et al., 2012). Recent global health research similarly emphasizes the importance of measuring wellbeing beyond disease status alone (The Lancet Global Health, 2024). As suggested by Dodge’s model, we think of wellbeing as the balance point between individuals’ resource pool and the challenges they face.
Figure 1: Wellbeing as a dynamic balance between resources and challenges from
Dodge et al. (2012).
As many women continue to navigate changing relationships between challenges and available resources, gaps remain in broader research on women’s health outcomes. Large-scale institutional analyses, including work by the McKinsey Health Institute in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, have found that women spend approximately 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men, suggesting substantial unmet needs in how health is understood and addressed (McKinsey Health Institute, 2024). Additional research from Deloitte's Women @ Work reports highlights the impact of health-related challenges on workplace experience and productivity (Deloitte, 2024; Deloitte, 2025). While these studies provide population-level insight, they do not capture how individuals make sense of day-to-day fluctuations in how they feel or what strategies they use in response in order to maintain their wellbeing.This survey aims to complement existing research by examining women’s lived experience of managing everyday variability in wellbeing, with particular attention to how individuals attempt to understand patterns in how they feel and identify strategies that provide meaningful support.
Limitations:
The sample size of 250 provides a margin of error of approximately ±6.2% at a 95% confidence level. Respondents were drawn from Pollfish's mobile panel, which may skew toward digitally active populations and contains self-selection bias. The phrasing "not quite your best" may lead responses to a subjective perspective, which might influence how participants define and interpret “fluctuation”. These limitations are considered where relevant throughout the report.
2. Key Findings
1. Fluctuations in wellbeing are common and often leads to reasoning
Participants who report more frequent experiences of not feeling their best are also more likely to reflect on why they feel the way they do, indicating an active effort to interpret changes in their body.
2. Reasoning is often followed by taking actions
Over half of participants (50.8%) report taking action within the past week to improve or better understand how they feel. Among those who report reasoning very often, 74.19% report taking action within the past week, suggesting that uncertainty frequently motivates behavioral change.
3. Individuals use a wide range of coping strategies, most of which are informal and self-directed
The most common approaches include journaling (52%), talking to someone (52%), pushing through discomfort (44%), and searching for information online (38%), indicating that individuals are already actively trying to manage how they feel.
4. Trying more coping strategies does not necessarily lead to better improvements
Participants who report using more coping strategies do not consistently report higher perceived effectiveness, suggesting that effort alone may not translate into clarity or reliable relief.
5. Structured approaches show relatively higher effectiveness but remain underutilized
Tracker/App is reported to have high effectiveness after use. Yet only 12% of participants report using tracking tools, despite relatively higher effectiveness compared to commonly used approaches such as searching or pushing through.
6. Effort is consistent, but outcomes vary across life stages and contexts
Participants across demographic groups report similar levels of effort in trying to improve how they feel, yet the consistency and perceived effectiveness of outcomes vary more widely, based on their age and life context. These patterns suggest that individuals may face different challenges in identifying approaches that work reliably within their life circumstances. As a result, they need coping strategies that can adapt to varying personal needs.
7. Many individuals report ongoing frustration and how existing approaches do not fully meet their needs, suggesting strong need for structured tools that provides timely responses
43.6% of participants report feeling dismissed or misunderstood when not feeling their best, and 37.6% report taking things day by day rather than planning ahead, suggesting limited confidence in anticipating how they may feel.While participants actively experiment with a range of coping strategies, open-ended responses suggest that many still feel uncertain about underlying causes, unsure which approaches work best for them, and frustrated by inconsistent results. This pattern suggests that existing strategies may provide partial relief, but do not always support a clear understanding of what is happening or how to respond effectively over time.
3. Detailed Findings
3.1 Fluctuations in wellbeing are common and often leads to reasoning
This section examines whether experiencing fluctuations in wellbeing is associated with increased reflection about why one feels unwell. To begin with, 67% of participants report feeling physically or cognitively "not quite their best" for some, most, or nearly all of a typical day. We analyzed the relationship between feeling unwell and this group’s response to how often they wonder why they feel unwell.
As a result, participants who reported more frequent discomfort were also more likely to reflect on why they felt the way they did. Prior research suggests that when individuals notice changes in their bodily or emotional states, they often attempt to form explanations in order to better understand potential causes and implications (Leventhal, Meyer, & Nerenz, 1980).
The distribution shows a clear shift toward more frequent reflection as frequency of reported discomfort increases, suggesting that recurring unwellness may push participants to seek explanations for their experiences.
Figure1: More frequent discomfort is associated with more frequent reflection
3.2 Reasoning is often followed by taking actions
As shown in Figure 2, individuals who more frequently reflect on their experiences are more likely to report recent attempts to address how they feel. Prior research suggests that perceived uncertainty often motivates individuals to seek information and take action in order to better understand their experiences (Brashers, 2001).Over half of participants (50.8%) reported taking action within the past week. Among those who reported recent action-taking, the majority also reported at least sometimes wondering why they feel the way they do, indicating a strong relationship between reasoning and behavioral changes.
Figure 3 highlights this pattern more directly: participants who report more frequent reflection are more likely to report taking action within the past week. Together, these results suggest that uncertainty about one's condition often motivates relatively immediate coping behavior. Among those who have taken actions in the past week, people who sometimes, often and very often wonder about why they feel what they feel, take up about 91.34%.
Figure 3 People who reflect more frequently are more likely to take recent action
3.3 Individuals use a wide range of coping strategies, most of which are informal and self-directed
To better understand how individuals respond when they do not feel their best, participants were asked which actions they had taken to improve or better understand how they were feeling. Participants were asked to select multiple strategies. Results show that individuals rely on a broad set of coping mechanisms, and the most practiced ones are informal and self-directed.
Reflective and social approaches, such as journaling and talking to someone, are the most commonly reported strategies. Many participants also rely on information-seeking behaviors, including online search and AI tools. The use of digital tools for health-related information seeking aligns with broader trends in AI and online information use (Pew Research Center, 2024).
More structured approaches, such as tracking tools or professional support, are used less frequently. Tracking tools in particular show relatively low adoption (11.60%) compared to other strategies.
Together with findings from Sections 3.1 and 3.2, these results suggest that individuals often respond to fluctuations in how they feel by attempting to interpret their experiences and experimenting with multiple strategies in search of relief or understanding.
Strategy usage is consistent across different levels of reasoning. Journaling and talking to someone remain common approaches regardless of how frequently participants report wondering why they feel the way they do. In contrast, pushing through discomfort is widely used but is associated with worse overall effectiveness scores compared to participants who did not report using this approach.
Relative effectiveness of different strategies
Because participants were not asked to rate the effectiveness of each strategy individually, relative effectiveness was estimated by comparing overall effectiveness scores between participants who reported using each strategy and those who did not.
Effectiveness Ranking
Most effective
✔️ Journaling
✔️ App / tracker
✔️ Talking to someone
Moderately effective
✔️ Professional support
✔️ Supplements or lifestyle changes
Less effective
✔️ ChatGPT
✔️ Online search
Associated with worse perceived outcomes
✔️ Push through discomfort
Commonly used strategies such as pushing through discomfort and online searching appear widely adopted but are associated with relatively lower perceived effectiveness. In contrast, tracking tools and reflective approaches show relatively favorable effectiveness but lower adoption.
These patterns suggest that individuals actively experiment with multiple coping approaches, yet not all commonly used strategies appear to support consistent improvement. The variation in perceived effectiveness across strategies provides a foundation for examining potential gaps between what individuals do and what may help them better understand how they feel.
3.4. Trying more coping strategies does not necessarily lead to better improvements
To examine whether greater effort leads to better outcomes, we compared the number of coping strategies each participant reported using with their overall perceived effectiveness score.
The results do not show a clear relationship between the number of strategies used and perceived effectiveness. Participants who reported trying more approaches did not consistently report better outcomes, and in some cases reported slightly worse results.
This pattern suggests that individuals may try multiple strategies when their needs remain unmet. Rather than indicating successful problem-solving, a higher number of coping strategies may reflect ongoing difficulty identifying approaches that reliably improve how they feel.
Together with findings in Section 3.3, these results suggest that effort alone may not lead to clarity or consistent relief when individuals lack sufficient support for understanding the underlying patterns shaping their experiences.
3.5. Structured approaches show relatively higher effectiveness but remain underutilizedTo better understand which approaches may provide meaningful support, we compared strategy usage rates with relative effectiveness scores. Effectiveness was estimated by comparing the average reported effectiveness score of participants who used each strategy with those who did not.
As shown in Figure 4, journaling and talking to someone are both widely used and associated with relatively favorable perceived effectiveness. Structured approaches, such as tracking tools, also show comparatively strong effectiveness but are used by a smaller proportion of participants (11.6%).
In contrast, pushing through discomfort is one of the most commonly reported strategies yet is associated with worse perceived outcomes. Similarly, information-seeking behaviors such as online search or AI tools show relatively neutral associations with effectiveness.
These patterns indicate that individuals often rely on familiar and easily accessible coping strategies, even when these approaches may not consistently support meaningful improvement. Approaches that help individuals observe patterns over time, such as tracking tools, appear promising but are not yet widely adopted.
Together, these findings point to a potential gap between commonly used coping behaviors and approaches that may better support interpretation of recurring fluctuations in physical or mental states.
3.6 Coping strategies vary across life stages and contexts, but effort levels remain similarWe explored whether coping strategies and perceived effectiveness vary across demographic groups, including age and employment status.
Age patterns
Across age groups, participants report using a similar number of coping strategies, suggesting broadly consistent motivation to improve how they feel. However, differences emerge in perceived effectiveness and variability of outcomes.
Participants aged 25–29 report slightly greater variability in how they feel and somewhat lower perceived effectiveness. Participants aged 30–34 show the lowest variability in effectiveness scores, indicating more consistent outcomes. Participants aged 35–39 show somewhat greater variation again, suggesting a wider range of experiences within this group.
Strategy preferences also vary modestly by age. Younger participants report slightly higher reliance on reactive approaches such as searching for information or pushing through discomfort, while older participants report somewhat greater use of structured or reflective strategies such as journaling, supplements, or professional support.
These patterns suggest that while effort levels remain similar, individuals may differ in the extent to which they have identified approaches that work reliably for their specific needs.
Employment context
Differences also appear across employment contexts. Participants who are employed report similar numbers of coping strategies compared to those who are not employed, but slightly higher perceived effectiveness and lower variability in outcomes.Working participants show somewhat higher use of action-oriented strategies such as supplements or professional support, while non-employed participants report slightly higher use of reflective approaches such as journaling or conversational support.These findings suggest that coping behaviors may be shaped in part by differences in daily constraints, available resources, and time flexibility.
3.7 Many individuals report ongoing frustration and how existing approaches do not fully meet their needs
Participants were asked what they found most frustrating when they were not feeling their best (select up to two). The most frequently reported frustrations relate not only to the experience itself, but to difficulty obtaining understanding, validation, or clarity.
A substantial proportion of participants report frustration related to feeling dismissed or misunderstood (43.6%), as well as feeling pressure to resolve how they feel (40.8%). Many also identify uncertainty about underlying causes (30%) as a key source of frustration.These findings suggest that the challenge is not limited to the experience of discomfort itself, but also relates to difficulty interpreting and communicating that experience. Participants appear to experience tension between the expectation to manage how they feel and uncertainty about the causes or appropriate responses.
Together with earlier findings, these results indicate that individuals may seek not only relief from symptoms, but also clearer understanding, validation, and guidance in navigating recurring fluctuations in how they feel.Prior research similarly highlights challenges women report when discussing health-related concerns in workplace contexts (Deloitte, 2025), suggesting that difficulties in obtaining understanding or support may extend beyond individual coping strategies.
Notably, relatively fewer participants identify barriers related to access to care or treatment. Instead, responses more often emphasize uncertainty about causes and difficulty identifying what may help. This pattern suggests that individuals may be seeking greater clarity and confidence in understanding their experiences, alongside practical ways to respond when they are not feeling their best.
3.8 Participants report ongoing gaps in understanding and predictability
Open-ended responses suggest that many participants continue to experience difficulty understanding why they feel the way they do, even after trying multiple coping strategies. Common themes include uncertainty about underlying causes, limited clarity regarding which approaches are most effective, and challenges maintaining consistent routines over time.
Several participants described an ongoing loop in which efforts provided only partial or temporary relief:
“I wish I could figure out what is causing it.”
“Nothing has actually worked.”
“It helped, but only a little.”
Others expressed a desire for clearer guidance or more structured forms of support:
“I need someone to talk to.”
“I want a professional opinion.”
“I need a non-judgmental environment.”
Participants also reported difficulty sustaining strategies consistently:
“It’s hard to stay consistent.”
“It’s easy for me to stop.”
These responses suggest that individuals are seeking not only relief, but also greater clarity and confidence in understanding their experiences.
Findings from Q13 further indicate limited predictability in how participants expect to feel in the future. While 29.6% report planning ahead fairly often, the majority either take things day by day (37.6%) or plan only loosely when needed (23.6%), suggesting uncertainty in anticipating future states.
Taken together, the findings suggest that many individuals are already actively trying to care for themselves through reflection, social support, and lifestyle adjustments. However, these efforts do not always translate into a clear understanding of patterns in how they feel or which responses are most effective.
Without sufficient interpretive clarity, it may be difficult to anticipate changes in wellbeing or respond with confidence. As a result, coping efforts may remain primarily reactive, and improvements may feel inconsistent rather than reliable.
Overall, the findings suggest that individuals may benefit not from more coping strategies alone, but from greater support in understanding patterns, anticipating changes, and identifying responses that work more reliably over time.
4. Insight
Across findings, individuals appear actively engaged in trying to manage fluctuations in how they feel. Participants frequently report reflecting on their experiences, searching for explanations, and experimenting with a range of coping strategies.
However, effort does not consistently translate into clearer understanding or greater predictability. Many individuals rely on informal or reactive approaches that may provide temporary relief but do not always help them recognize patterns over time.
Without a clearer sense of what influences how they feel, it can be difficult to anticipate changes or select responses with confidence. As a result, coping efforts may remain situational rather than cumulative, requiring individuals to repeatedly experiment with different approaches rather than building reliable knowledge about what works for them. These findings align with broader evidence highlighting persistent gaps in women’s health outcomes, despite increasing recognition of their impact on wellbeing and participation in daily activities (McKinsey Health Institute, 2024).
Taken together, the findings suggest that individuals may benefit from forms of support that help them better interpret recurring patterns in how they feel, anticipate potential changes, and identify responses that are more consistently effective over time.Importantly, the findings do not indicate a lack of motivation or effort. Rather, individuals appear to be investing substantial effort in managing their wellbeing, often without access to tools that help translate experience into stable understanding and effective solutions.
References
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2. Brashers, D. E. (2001). Communication and uncertainty management. Journal of Communication, 51(3), 477–497.
3. Deloitte. (2024). Women @ Work 2024: A global outlook. Deloitte Insights.
4. Deloitte. (2025). Women @ Work 2025: The continuing impact of health and wellbeing challenges in the workplace. Deloitte Insights.
5. Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L. (2012). The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2(3), 222–235.
6. Leventhal, H., Meyer, D., & Nerenz, D. (1980). The common sense representation of illness danger. In S. Rachman (Ed.), Medical psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 7–30). Pergamon Press.
7. McKinsey Health Institute. (2024). Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies. McKinsey & Company & World Economic Forum.
8. NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health. (n.d.). History of women’s participation in clinical research.
9. The Lancet Global Health. (2024). Quantifying the wellbeing of women: What metrics matter?
ABOUT SAELA
Saela is a biological intelligence company building the first longitudinal context layer for women's daily health and wellness. Founded by Maggie Lusk, former Manager of AI & Technology Strategy at Deloitte, Saela translates daily biological variability into personal clarity, pattern recognition, and anticipatory support.
The company's research program focuses on understanding how women experience, interpret, and respond to their own biology in the course of daily life – a question that large-scale institutional research has identified as critical but has not yet examined at the individual level.
For inquiries about this research, methodology, or collaboration: Maggie Lusk | maggielusk@saelasync.com
