The glue that holds every household together - a woman

Being a woman myself, I know first hand the sacrifices a woman has to make just to make sure their family is well taken care off. No milk in the fridge? It’s fine, I won’t have milk in my morning tea. Only a single slice of bread left after everyone else has eaten? No problem – one will suffice. From the morning till the moment their head hits the pillow (sometimes even during that), our mind is constantly on our family.

Every one has the flu at home? Of course mum will know what to do and ensure that everyone heals, even if it means that she is unwell too. 

This takes a huge toll on the mindset of a person. Burnout occurs and often make them feel more ill than everyone one else. A woman is a nurse, chef, caretaker, teacher and so much more, that it’s astounding that by the end of the day – she’s still standing with the biggest smile on her face. Mental health affects women of all different ages. If we take a step decades ago when mental health was taboo, women just felt that whatever negative feelings they had, were normal and that they should just get over it and carry on with life.

If you are a male reading this, I strongly recommend that you always show gratitude and respect to the next woman. We juggle it all, from sick babies to sick adopted babies (husbands) and still make sure there’s a hot plate of food on the table after a long day of work. This kind of behaviour is surely to get into the mind set of a woman and slowly eat her up inside. It’s tough being the pillar of strength for an entire family.

How do we help women with mental health problems?

1. As a husband, provide support! Don’t just sit on the couch watching a match of soccer when she needs help.

2. Try talking about it to a close friend or someone you trust. This is an age old piece of advice that works because when you release your feelings, you start to feel better. Never let yourself bubble over and always talk about it.

3. You can’t fill from an empty cup so skipping meals is not going to help. Make sure you eat nourishing foods that keep your mind healthy and mind set clear.

4. If you feel like you can’t talk to your friends about in, confide in your partner so that they can help ways  to take the load off. 

5. Make time for yourself and dedicate some time in the weekend or evenings to do things that make you happy. It can be reading be a book or watching your favourite series. 

6. Seeking professional help is nothing to be ashamed of so if you feel as though the above methods are still not working, seek professional help.

Whether you see it now or not, every household has a woman as the pillar that holds the family together. She is the one who provides most of the strength and guidance in difficult times and is usually the glue that holds everyone together. In saying this, glue also falls apart and breaks after a period of time, the same goes for the female figure in the home. Be grateful to the pillar of your home – this could be your mum, aunt or even grandmother. They face difficulties too but they refuse to breakdown because women are built that way, they are built tough, indestructible and unfortunately not likely to allow themselves to be vulnerable. 

Take a moment today and look at the motherly figure in your home and imagine a day without her. It would be the hardest 24 hours of your life.