Geeta Ramakrishnan is an ontological coach, who has authored Amazon’s #1 Bestseller book, ‘The Game of Change’. This book brings together her rich experience of having interacted and coached people over the past few decades. Her coaching focus has primarily been on change management and assisting people professionally and personally, to help bring to their lives a balance of success and happiness or in other words, help them discover their ‘AHA’ moment.
Dear working woman,
In this fast paced life, managing a holistic lifestyle can be difficult. Especially as you juggle your career, your home, and personal time, it can lead to easy development of stress and fatigue. Wanting to be perfect, we play the game of life by allowing ourself to be sucked out of every ounce of energy in everything we do. It means we are left with very little energy for ourselves, and hardly any time to replenish it. Adding to it, the hurdles we have to face as women cannot be ignored, and they are enough to fester anxiety and forms of depression at times.
Apart from wanting to succeed in every aspect of our lives, we, as women, also need to make our psychological well-being a priority. Being mentally fit and happy not only helps you focus more on all your tasks and responsibilities, it also enables you to feel more confident and live a healthier, more composed life overall.
Understanding Psychological Well-Being
Today, when expectations from individuals, especially women, are so high, keeping our calm, giving some self-love and appreciating our own efforts becomes challenging. We start doubting our capabilities, focus on our flaws, and give in to anxiety easily. It’s not that we are not capable of handling challenging situations; we need to sharpen our mental mindset and focus our energy to address them calmly and efficiently. Your mental well-being is extremely important to help you keep your composure in tough times and manage your emotions.
Many people tend to run away from their problems by ignoring them altogether, procrastinating, blaming others for their problems, accepting them unwillingly and being in resentment, or giving in to short lived stress coping activities like smoking or drinking. While these help our mind escape the pressure of the situation, it is never a long term solution. Unless you start working on your psychological well-being, you cannot expect things to get better. It has to begin from within, and it has to begin now.
Working Women & Quality of Life
Many studies suggest that women who have a professional career or job have as many challenges and success and satisfaction in their lives as the women who engage in house making tasks alone. Not that being a home-keeper and full time mom is any less empowering. This study only helps solidify the fact that the stress in our lives is not because we have to focus on both our careers and homes at the same time. If anything, a career or job gives you more confidence and financial independence.
So why do working women struggle with their psychological well-being?
It is because we are often overwhelmed by the sheer pressure that comes with juggling multiple tasks from our professional and personal lives. Women have to work twice as hard as men to get the same recognition and respect at work, and they have always been known to contribute more at home than their male spouses.
Amidst this hustle of wearing all the hats at once, we sometimes forget to take off the hats and relax. Many working women prioritize work, family and then themselves, resulting in continuous physical and mental fatigue. Their body and mind also need some recharging– something we fail to notice or acknowledge until it starts showing up as life-style diseases like PCOS, weight gain, fatigue, digestion issues, diabetes and hypertension to name a few.
How do you boost your psychological well-being?
The most common question that all life coaches are asked is “How do we recharge our mind?”
I believe we are one whole of part mind and part body, and respecting both our body and mind while tending to them is a big gap we miss out on. In order to build and enhance your psychological well-being, you have to identify what makes you feel relaxed, gives you joy, and does not completely exhaust your mind in the process. A life coach or therapist can only help you identify what makes you happy, what can you let go in that process, and how to engage in activities that bring you positive energy and joy, it is you who has to make the change.
Make relaxation a part of your routine
Some people plan a mini vacation, leisure trip, or spa visit to rejuvenate, while others choose to volunteer time for a social cause. Even despite COVID, you can be creative and look for ways to pamper and enrich yourself. Invest time in self-care and keep a grooming day for long baths with aroma oils and candles perhaps. Invest some time in upgrading your skills, or try catching up on hobbies you didn’t think you had time for. These periodical escapes from the routine not only help you come back with a fresh renewed energy and more excitement, they also give the much needed break from your stressful routine.
Include physical exercise or workout in your day if your job demands you sitting for long hours. Jumping jack done 20 times before your bath, add some deep slow breathing, all of which can take a total of 5 minutes of your time. This will help keep your body and mind active throughout the day. Set aside some time for reading books, walking in the garden or park, cooking something delicious, or just sitting in the balcony sipping your favorite beverage. Give yourself time to unwind on a daily basis, and you will witness reduced stress and anxiety.
So stop to breathe.
Relax.
You are only human and you don’t have to be afraid of making mistakes. Make sure to learn from them and move on. Keeping your physical and psychological well-being as a priority can bring you more confidence and happiness.