Counselling is where individuals vent out, share, discuss, and brainstorm about various life shortcomings and life situations. It's a process where we gain insights, guidelines, and knowledge or have life-reflecting moments.
Middle-aged working women with stress, anxiety and burnout out approached me. The woman was overwhelmed with her personal life because of her unemployed alcoholic husband and increasing debt issues. Though the woman is working hard for the family, she ends up in helplessness. The reason behind her difficulty is not her husband nor the debt though it's an added problem, the lack of knowledge to use the ATM card and manage the finance was the main problem which turned out to be an advantage for the husband to withdraw the savings of the family.
To look from a universal point of view, it's Knowledge which gives power. The basic knowledge of using an ATM card might have ruled out her problems but unfortunately, it did not happen because of the predefined stereotypical gender roles, men take care of money and women help at home. Though she was working, she was indifferent towards money management and had inadequate knowledge of access to the salary.
Many women approach counselling for similar life situations and much more. From early times to recent dates women are working constantly, we see them evolving in their fields and family duties but yet not fully self-reliant. The word empowerment is often misunderstood or misinterpreted. Empowerment is not overpowering others or dominating. It's promoting one sense of self-worth, and the ability to determine choices. Empowerment comes with responsibility.
My dear readers, the responsibility I mentioned here is the responsibility towards yourself and your life. Sharpening your basic life skills and knowledge can help you become self-reliant which in return makes you empowered in all aspects of your life. That's the actual empowerment. When my client realized it, she awakened.
There are a few ways in which we can develop Self-Reliance
Embrace responsibility-Start taking responsibility for your life and the things in it. Relying on others for your duties leaves you with no skills. By taking responsibility for your life, You’ll earn confidence in yourself as you take control of your own life. You’ll feel empowered.
Be informed - knowing how to carry out the responsibilities. Some individuals continue seeking help from others for their chores, with the excuse that they just don't know how to carry out things themselves. But the truth is, they’ve never actually tried to figure things out on their own. Self-reliance comes with learning and developing knowledge and skills.
Make your own decision- when young, parents would have helped in making choices. Part of being grown-up is taking care of yourself and making your own decisions. A self-reliant individual will not remain around for somebody else to take care of things that need to be taken care of. If he or she encounters a situation, he or she takes the initiative and tries to figure out how to resolve it. That's how problem-solving skills develop.
On the whole, building self-Reliance will make people independent and empowered.
Counselling can be taken for various problems such as relationship issues between family members, relatives and friends, work-related issues like unemployment or overwork, teamwork, financial problems, isolation, health-related, parenting, handling emotions, stress, career guidance and more. Qualified Mental Health Practitioners help solve problems easily or help move towards solutions. It's essential to take care of our mental health. Wishing you all a very happy women's day.
Srinidhi.T
Life Skill Trainer, Therapeutic Art Life Coach & Counselling Practitioner
