For International Women’s Day last year, I wrote a post about my twelve favourite women. Some of those women are
no longer in my life so I considered writing a up-to-date one but then, I
thought that it might be nice to write something a little different this year. After
all, I sing the praises of my favourites so often that I don’t think there are any
words left in the world that I haven’t used, to describe and thank them.
So, this year I wanted to focus on
some of the ways that people – though women are the focus today - can support
one another:
1.
No pressure
With social media being everywhere
at the moment, it’s become a very influential platform and the old saying of ‘sticks
and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is becoming less and
less true. We’re always inundated with criticisms and the goals for weight,
style, health, relationships, etc. are constantly changing. Just when you think
you’ve achieved something, it seems that there’s someone there to better it and
leave you feeling inferior and insufficient. I think that one of the greatest awareness’s
you can gain in life is the insight that there’s consequences for your words and
actions. But there needs to be a balance between pressuring a person into being
someone they’re not and encouraging a person to grow, develop and take on new
challenges.
2.
Unconditional
I believe that you can offer
someone genuine, support but it not be unconditional. I think that the thing
that makes the support unconditional is the relationship. Could you truly support
a complete stranger no matter what they said or did?! I think that this,
unconditional support, only really comes to those we love; family, friends,
partners… Just knowing you have at least one person in your life who supports
you unconditionally, can be hugely comforting and reassuring.
3.
Credit where
credit’s due
I truly think that these days,
people are too quick to criticize and judge others; so, a bit of praise and a
compliment can go a long way. It’s important to speak up when you feel offended
or upset by someone, but it’s equally important to tell someone when they’ve
helped you, or when you’re proud of something they’ve done. Not everyone can recognize
their own skills and achievements so having another person do this and remind
you of them, can be a huge boost in confidence.
4.
Honesty
I find honesty is a lot more
respected these days, especially where someone speaks out about their mental health.
It’s a difficult one because there’s always a fear of retribution, judgement, trolling
and criticism when sharing your experiences or opinions; and sometimes that fear
prevents people from speaking honestly and openly about important issues in
life. But being honest with one another creates a trusting relationship that
allows the opportunity to seek advice and support.
5.
Inspire
In mental health especially, there
are so many negative influences out there and it’s very sad to say that some of
those, are actually people. There are people out there who promote self-harm
and encourage others to use it as a coping strategy which – I think – is quite
obviously, the exact opposite of what we need to be doing. Instead, we should
inspire others to take on new challenges, face fears, recognize skills, make
achievements, accept themselves, use safe coping skills, be healthy, laugh,
love, live.