Article by : Sarika Nair

Women are caretakers and givers by nature. They have a habit of putting others first and ignoring their health in the process. This is due to their nature and also due to social conditioning.

In earlier times the roles of men and women were clearly divided. But in today’s times, women have taken over a lot many responsibilities. She has become a bread earner too. But she also has to fulfill her caretaker responsibilities. This puts immense pressure on women.

Add to it the stress of day-to-day life. And the result is poor mental health.

According to WHO, more than 5 crore Indians suffer from depression. Women are more likely to be depressed compared to men. Gender does play an important role in mental health status.

So what is the solution for this? Is there any??

Yes, there are little things which women can do for their mental health.

1. Love yourself: Sounds like something which you have heard many times before right? But it is very essential to love yourself. Say good things to yourself and stop self-criticism.
2. Me-time is crucial: Take out time for yourself. At least a few minutes every day. It can be a walk, a few minutes of reading, a coffee/tea, listening to your favourite song or exercise. Carve out this time for yourself.
3. Eat well: Your body needs many nutrients to be healthy and active. Take care of your body needs and eat healthy food.
4. Ask for help: You are not a superwoman and you don’t have to be one. Ask for help, your family and friends will be willing to lend you an ear and a helping hand.
5. Delegate: Your family will survive if you forget to do something. Cut yourself some slack and don’t take up everything on yourself.
6. Accept yourself: Everyone is good at something and everyone is bad at something. Know your strengths and weaknesses and accept yourself for what you are.
7. Meet the people that matter: Stay in touch with the people that you like. Make an effort to meet them personally. Meeting people in person has an amazing therapeutic affect on the mind.
8. Social media detox: Social media can really pressurize and stress you. Take a break from it from time to time. It is a much-needed
9. Sleep well: Get at least 7-8 hours of shut-eye every night. Relax before sleeping and stay away from gadgets. Quality of sleep greatly affects the mind and the body.

These are a few ways in which you can take care of your mental health. A woman’s health affects the whole family’s health. Stay healthy, stay happy.

 

Views expressed are personal.

 

 

 

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Inviting participation from D&I Heads of companies to get insights on various best practices followed by Best Companies for Women in India

Chennai, 15^th October 2018: At a time when India Inc is grasping the impact of #MeToo movement, D&I Pioneer AVTAR Group is organizing a one-day Diversity and Inclusion conference with an aim to showcase best in class policies and practices of successful companies in India that have made workplace safer and inclusive for women. The conference, Best Practices of the 100 Best (BoB) is set to take place on 30^th October 2018 at ITC Grand Chola. The theme of the conference is – Engendering Inclusion in Learning Organizations.

Taking the next step towards achieving an ideal Gender Balance at workplaces, this one-day conference, with a plethora of power-packed sessions hosted by corporate icons, will look into the best practices of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India and create a platform for sharing innovations in the field of Diversity & Inclusion. With sessions like – Men as Allies to Women at the workplace, The Role of Media in Advocating Gender Inclusion, Case Study Presentations by Companies to tackle various stages of Gender Inclusion at the workplace – the conference will be a culmination of thoughts and insights on issues surrounding workforce, marketplace and culture.

The conference has an eminent panel of speakers like Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder – President, AVTAR Group; Ms. Subha Barry, President, Working Mother Media; Mr. Arindam Banerrji, EVP & MD, Enterprise Global Services, Wells Fargo & Company; Ms. Gwen M. Ryan – Global Operations Leader for the Global Delivery Services, EY; Ms. Mansi Tripathy, Managing Director -Shell Lubricants Indian Subcontinent; Mr. Ravi Ramachandran, Head of Sales, NESTLÉ India; Ms. Priti Singh, Vice President, Head Human Resources South Asia at Mastercard; Ms. Madhur Tatwawadi, VP & Head HR – Credit Suisse Business Analytics; Ms. Sunita Mohanty, Head of Sales & Business Development- Corporate Services, Sodexo; Mr. Derek Nazareth, Managing Director, Head of Global Operations and Country Head, AXA XL; Ms. Amita Kasbekar, Inclusion Leader, Deloitte India (Offices of the US) and Dr. Eric Miller, Director, World Storytelling Institute.

The conference, besides recognizing the best companies for women, will also celebrate Male Allies at workplace who have spearheaded the change in mindsets, through Male Ally Legacy Awards. Inaugurating a one-of-its kind award property, the conference will also honour CSR initiatives by companies towards the impact created for economically empowering underprivileged women.

For more details about the conference, please visit https://www.avtarwomen.com/event-conference/20.

For registering for the conference, please contact ek@avtarcc.com.

About AVTAR Group: AVTAR set up in 2000, is India’s first diversity advocate& workplace inclusion expert. Renowned for its extensive work in the space of Diversity & Inclusion and more specifically, women’s workforce participation, it is the country’s largest provider of second career opportunities for women and is also the earliest to begin working on diversity audits and measurement. Lead by the visionary Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, AVTAR has ventured into areas of women’s empowerment and career creation, which are firsts to India, such as – 1) Creating a marketplace for second career women to meet potential employers, 2) Developing a comprehensive set of career enablers which companies can implement in their workspaces, 3) Spearheading original research that has provided cutting edge insights to organizations 4) Re-Skilling, Up-skilling and Counselling of women to pursue sustainable career paths and 5) Building career intentionality amongst under privileged girl children. Over its 18 years of existence, AVTAR has helped charter Diversity & Inclusion plans for several organisations in the IT, FMCG and Financial sectors in the country.

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