Happy International Women’s Day! There are many ways to mark this special day for yourself.
As a woman living in Germany, here are three tips I have found to get closer to the aim of the day, embracing equity.
‘No’ days
It may sound counter-intuitive to the goals of IWD day. But sometimes saying no, is the best thing you can do to reserve your energy for something else.
Case in point, if you are feeling overwhelmed at work, it’s ok to say no wisely. You don’t need to burn out to have permission to say no. You don’t need a doctor’s letter to allow you to pace out your tasks.
By saying no, you are being efficient with your time and your energy. This is one lesson I have learned working in Germany.
Self-care isn’t selfish
This tip is a bit tied to the first. But we expand it outside of activities that pay you, aka a job.
Prioritizing things like walking outside, or playing an online game or painting your nails, and leaning back on that couch could fill your emotional tank much faster than planning a holiday once a year.
When you do this often, you have enough energy to get through most of whatever else life throws at you.
Case in point, if you are feeling overwhelmed at work, it’s ok to say no wisely. You don’t need to burn out to have permission to say no. You don’t need a doctor’s letter to allow you to pace out your tasks.
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Practice positive self-talk
It’s not always easy to start telling yourself how incredible you are. How meticulous you are with your planning and organization skills. It’s not always easy to remember these things.
One thing that can help is to be audacious about how we are living. Occupy space like you deserve to be there. One thing about audacity is that it’s shameless. And for many of us, we need to build that audacious muscle. And that can only happen in a series of events.
The first is to make small attainable goals and praise your efforts when you achieve that. The second, just like any workout, is to do this consistently, and you will be surprised at how easy it becomes to speak positively about yourself.
This exercise reminds you what you are good at, what you have improved, and what you’d like to learn.
You don’t need permission. Be audacious, and claim that equity in your sphere of influence.
One thing that can help is to be audacious about how we are living. Occupy space like you deserve to be there. One thing about audacity is that it’s shameless. And for many of us, we need to build that audacious muscle. And that can only happen in a series of events.
Wanjiku Mwaura
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