It is a pleasure to read that our community proposes we discuss Women's Health as the theme of the month. A very propitious topic in March and of great relevance.
For this first week, I read the story of Caitlin (fictitious narration). She is a woman who began to perceive some physical and emotional symptoms that led her to take her health seriously by going to professionals to help her recover her quality of life. Today Caitlin wants to take on the challenge of assisted motherhood. If you want to read more detail about this story you can click on this link.
Reading this story, I was very pleased that the presence of some symptoms led this woman to seek help at an early stage, perhaps preventing chronic disease. Bravo to her! However, this leads me to wonder, how many women are willing to preserve our health above all else?
The social role of women today is very large. Currently, a large percentage of households are headed by a woman. Therefore, her role is preponderant in providing for her family, taking care of her children and other family members, as well as professionalizing herself to be competitive in the work environment, which should result in better economic conditions and opportunities for her loved ones.
In other cases, although the woman is not directly responsible for the household's sustenance, she is the one who ensures that the whole family functions. She is in charge of everything from the efficient distribution of the family budget to acting as that support and push that various members of the family require to motivate themselves and achieve their own goals.
Women, by their nature seem to have an implicit protective function in the social and family environment. If this is true, who thinks about the needs of women? What place do women occupy in their family environment? Are they the priority? Are they always at the back of the queue? I think the first to reflect on this are women themselves. You can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself!
Some constraints make it difficult for women to receive medical care. One of them is for religious reasons. There are regions of the world where women are not allowed to receive gynecological or obstetric care, nor are they allowed to have their mammary glands examined. They are not considered human beings. In some countries, a female physician is allowed to examine female patients. But how is this possible if university education is denied to some women just because of their gender? I am not going to discuss this in depth because I do not want to hurt susceptibilities, but this is a reality that occurs in the XXI century.
Another factor that limits women's access to health care is poverty, which is reflected in women outside the formal education system. Some girls begin their sexual life at an early age, and without education, it is difficult for them to guarantee the care of their health as well as that of their family group.
On the other hand, in the Western world, women face various social stigmas from their appearance and professional capacity to those related to their mental health. Mood swings, insomnia, depression, and nervousness cannot be blamed on that silent enemy called "stress". Many of these manifestations can be a reflection of hormonal alterations as happens in the dysfunction of the thyroid gland. This can be solved with a visit to the endocrinologist and not suffering in silence. However, if these psycho-emotional changes are not due to hormonal disruption and are a consequence of some kind of cognitive or functional impairment of our nervous system, how can we know if we are ashamed to talk about it? Embarrassment? Yes, many times women want to show strong, and we do not realize that in this process we wear ourselves out.
Today there is still a great social stigmatization of people in need of psychological and psychiatric help. There is even discrimination within the family. Many turn to these professionals as a last resort when it should be a priority to take care of our mental health. An early diagnosis avoids years of suffering and allows us to share quality moments with our loved ones. It is important to emphasize that preserving our mental health should be a priority from the early stages of childhood. Every day it becomes more frequent to see how children and adolescents manifest alterations in their mental health, preventing them from interacting adequately with their environment.
In addition to the strategies that psychologists and psychiatrists can offer us, women must manage habits that allow them to have stable mental health. One effective way is to find and practice an activity that allows us to free ourselves from daily pressures. Finding a hobby can be difficult, but once you find it, it is an activity that disconnects you from the routine and challenges of everyday life. Any activity can be a hobby from sports to crafts. How do you know that something is a hobby and strengthens your mental health? An activity that becomes a hobby gives you pleasure, allows you small achievements that give you satisfaction, and especially see it as a way to relax and not as an obligation.
The world of women is not easy. It has its psyche and dynamics. However, we must support each other to be physically and emotionally healthy. If you have a managerial position, you can promote rewards for those women in your work who have medical check-ups. Something like the woman of the month for her commitment to her health. It could be good, don't you think?
Women have incredible strength, and we can come together to support each other by being that shoulder for others to talk about their fears. Let's stop criticizing each other for our physical appearance and beliefs. Let's not see other women as our opponents. Let's be generous with other women and offer support to those who need it. Let's accept each other with our differences.
Women's health is not only a women's issue, but it starts with the collective awareness as a gender to make this a priority in our society.
Our society needs each, but it needs you healthy to conquer personal,
professional, and social challenges.
We cannot claim to be pillars of our environment if we are not healthy.
Being healthy, we can achieve everything!
Thanks for reading. See you in next post!
