International Women's Day 2024: Five tips from women to stay positive and cope with life's difficulties
Building strong support networks and focusing on oneself are just some of the advices in dealing with life's ups and downs
IT IS International Women’s Day today and it’s a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. In short, it’s to celebrate women.
And I am all for that.
I have been involved with the "Rock The Naked Truth" body positivity movement, and we have launched several campaigns with local fashion brands around the theme of women empowerment and inclusivity over the years in tandem with this occasion. Through these campaigns, I got to meet women from all walks of life, with different background stories.
I’ve also designed an annual event for Rock The Naked Truth as an empowerment exercise - the Shirtless Run in January at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir, where over 100 participants took a step of courage and showed up shirtless – men without a top and women in their sports bras.
Everyone had a different story to tell but it was a morning to just come together and run for a good cause, have some breakfast, get a tarot card reading and win lucky-draw prizes and even a slot to the Gold Coast Marathon.
From all of these shared experiences, here is a list of tips to help you cope if you’re going through something difficult, or just stay positive in your life:
1. Build a strong support network
Surround yourself with positive people who will lift you and not put you down. As we grow older, you will realise that you don’t need to have many friends. Just focus on the ones that matter and don’t be afraid to cut out toxic people.
2. Recognise that food is not the enemy
Be careful not to demonise food. There is no "good" or "bad" food. Sure, there are some foods that are unhealthier than others, but so long as we eat those in moderation, that’s fine. Develop a good relationship with food!
3. Focus on yourself and stop comparing to others
With social media, it’s easy to compare yourself to others because everything is at your fingertips. But just remember that what you see on social media is usually the best of what people put out, like a highlights reel of their lives.
Don’t worry about what others have and instead, channel your energy to working on yourself.
4. Write down a list of your strengths and keep it handy
When you’re having a good day, write down a list of the things you are good at. Put it somewhere easily accessible, like on a sticky note on your wardrobe mirror.
On days that you feel bad, refer to this list and remind yourself of your strengths.
5. Practise the gratitude exercise regularly
No one is perfect, no life is perfect. You will have days when everything seems to be going wrong. Pause, take a deep breath, close your eyes and think of three good things that happened today.
It can be as simple as walking your dog, making breakfast for your child or ticking a task off your to-do list. Seek gratitude in the little things and accept that it’s normal to have "off" days.
May this list help you on your journey of self-discovery and remember to always be kind to others, and also to yourself.
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