Finding a balance in life as a Woman

“More than 1 in 5 women in the United States experienced a mental health condition in the past year, such as depression or anxiety. Many mental health conditions, such as depression and bipolar disorder, affect more women than men, or affect women in different ways from men”

(source: https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health)

Why does Women's Mental Health matter to me?

Living and working as a woman in our social culture very well can be explained by an image for me: Spinning multiple plates on a unicycle.

We are expected to take on various sized roles in our lives and it seems the plates keep adding as time goes. We are daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends, coworkers, and employees. Our bodies are stretched far more than we can bear and our patience is tested too early and for way longer than it seems possible. It is no wonder that we have more and different ways to deal with Mental Health than men.

When I ask what most woman’s daily routine looks like, I get a picture that’s similar to something like this: ‘I wake to my child on top of me, get them and myself ready for school and work as I shout from the bathroom for the kid to brush their teeth, wash their face and put clothes on, all the while I throw some lunch; the shouting match ends when everyone finally gets in the car seat with seatbelt on. When I finally get through the traffic and rush into my office, I get through the workload, come home (or pick up the kids), make dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, get kids into bed (God-knows somehow), and finally, take a shower for myself and hopefully get to bed’.

‘So, when do you have time for yourself?’

The role of caregiving falls so naturally on women whether you have a child or not. Maybe you are a caregiver of your parents, your spouse, your kids, or ill relative. Whomever it may be, most women will fall under some sort of a caregiving role in their lifetime. I remember growing up as an older sister, caring for my own brother who was sick often. Now that I no longer have a baby brother to care for, I am a wife who needs to entice her husband to do the chores. The answer to my question, when do you have time for yourself, saddens me to ask many women that I work with because most have not even considered it to be possible.

Women’s mental health matters to me because we deserve to be taken care of as much as we take care of our loved ones. We need to rest as much as those around us. We crave to receive love as much as we give.

We have one body, one mind, one spirit, and one lifetime.

We have one chance to be a good wife, a good mother, or a good daughter but we also only have one chance to a good self.

If you are struggling to find rest in your life; if you are having a hard time balancing all the different roles in your life; or if you are just feeling exhausted, I want you to know that there is still a chance to peace. I can guide you to find a pause. Let me assist you to hear the gentle voice inside you for compassion.