A BALANCED LIFE
Choose
YOU
I have recently noticed the increasing use of
Considering this shift in awareness, the question
“setting boundaries”, etc. As a mental health ad-
self-sacrifice at the expense of our well-being”? I
phrases like “self-care Sundays”, “me time”,
vocate, I am proud to see that there is somewhat
of a global shift towards intentional wellness and mindfulness.
I recall, as a young black African woman beginning her career in advertising, how unaware I was
of the concept “mental health”. Let alone any jargon that aptly describes the behaviors which
characterize wellness. I had inherited so many poor coping mechanisms from my time at uni-
versity - where binge drinking and greasy foods served as the proverbial ‘self-care’ approach to
tackling stress and life’s challenges. The truth is I did not know any better. Most of us did not.
Take a walk around any university campus today, and you are guaranteed to come across multiple
efforts that create awareness around wellness
and mental health - posters; events; campus ra-
dio station initiatives; and onsite student support centers.
which I pose is: “Why are we women so willing to
speak for myself when I say that I never knew any other way to exist but to put the needs of others
before my own. I argue that women are gener-
ally brought up to be nurturing and cater to the
needs of others, often sacrificing our own in the process. Men (perhaps due to inherent cultural norms and beliefs) seem more able to put their
own needs first. While it may be easier to take
on a victimhood mentality and wave the ‘gender card’ (which is valid sometimes), I do believe
that the onus lies with us women to be intentional about putting our needs, ourselves, first. “But how”?, you might ask. Here are a few tips that I have found to work well for myself and many of my peers:
Learn to say NO Find confidence in knowing that “No” is a full sen-
tence. The perceived success ceiling has been
“ Superwoman culture is toxic.
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