12-Feb-2024

These TED-Talks are getting more and more interesting. I watched another one today about mental health in women. Society expects a lot from women. People want us to be pretty, but not too pretty or they won’t take us seriously. They expect us to be the caregivers of our family without enabling us to take care of ourselves. They allow us to express emotions, but oversharing will give an impression that we’re weak and dramatic. All of that is wrong, and people should normalize treating women equally. Our mental and physical health should matter just the same as anything else, if not more. When talking about women, certain factors should be considered. One example is that women are more likely to face trauma and depression. Not because they are weak, but because they face a lack of support. Women try to balance their professional and personal lives doing many things. Shania Clark, the speaker, grew up with a single mom, who did everything she could to give Shania and her brother a good life. Her mom spared no energy or care for herself, and invested every bit of it in her two kids. Growing up, Shania couldn’t open up about her mental health. She had seen all her mom’s hard work and sacrifice, and didn’t want to risk making her mom feel like a failure. She was anything but a failure. There are many, many women in the world struggling with the same issue, but women are not putting up with it anymore. We need to normalize supporting women for all they do. Women need the support to be the best they can possibly be. This change won’t happen overnight; it needs work. But that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. It can be as simple as taking a moment to pay attention to them and listen to what they have to say. Now, this is way easier said than done. Making a conversation can be challenging, but starting one slowly breaks down the stigma that mental health faces. There are five rules to help accomplish this. 1) Say what you see. Address changes you notice in a non-judgemental way. 2) Let them know you care about them. That means a lot. 3) Hear them out. Pay attention to what they’re saying and listen. 4) Check yourself. It isn’t your job to fix things, but it is your job to care for them. 5) Connect them to help. Just addressing the changes is important, but it’s more important to connect them to help. There are many barriers to break when changing this viewpoint, but starting a conversation using the five rules can get you a head start. It is okay for women to talk about their problems. And it doesn’t mean women are weak. Women are stronger than you think, and it’s high time that society starts realizing this.