A woman, through her bearing and rearing responsibility has been bestowed with all tensile strength by nature withstanding the hormonal storm in her life cycle. As a homemaker as well as a working woman from any walk of life, she manages the balance in her own way
Carrying out multiple roles at home and outside, the working woman faces challenges from all sides and yet braves her way smilingly. On International Women’s Day, let us look at these roles she performs and how society can ease her struggles and shoulder her responsibilities.
A woman, through her bearing and rearing responsibility has been bestowed with all tensile strength by nature withstanding the hormonal storm in her life cycle. As a homemaker as well as a working woman from any walk of life, she manages the balance in her own way. What does she need in handling things in a successful manner making it an enjoyable affair? At work, punctuality, regularity and commitment towards work would place herself in a contented position allowing the brain to function most efficiently.
Patience, tolerance, and understanding are important tools for healthy relationships with co-workers and all at the workplace. All duties to be performed with self-confidence and self-reliance resultantly happy and contented with one’s own self. Cool composed approach helps save energy to be utilised for better management. Interpersonal relationships however disturbing can be managed and handled with self-confidence without expecting anything in return. A smallest mental disturbance can take out all the energy and put off the balance and cool, causing a huge damage to the performance in quality and quantity. Anywhere and everywhere empathy towards others is the key factor to maintain good relationships at all the places which is helpful and beneficial to oneself.
Development of ability to segregate office matters and woes and the household issues in their own areas is required at all times for healthy and happy management of one’s mental and physical balance as well as for the beneficiaries at both the places.
A happy background of successful home management remains to be a good start of the performance at the workplace. Woman is a central pillar, a source of strength, bonding everybody in the family with the cooperation of her spouse. She is the food supplier, buying consumables, cooking, serving, storing, stock managing, taking care of household gadgets, cleanliness, hygiene and nurturing family members by following their individual diet patterns and habits.
She has to prepare tiffin, follow special medical advice while cooking food for sick and ailing, kids and elderly, that too while satisfying the taste buds of each of these individuals. This can be done easily only with proper time management, preparing a time-table for every week with a food menu. Buying schedules, if managed along with outings, can save time. Cooking with a working triangle in the kitchen, a window kitchen garden, washing machine and drying area nearby, can save much time, I feel.
A house has many gadgets and equipment, and maintaining all of these in working condition is a real challenge. The electricals, plumbing, fuel, waste management, drainage, and care of the kitchen gadgets can prevent emergencies. Then there are bills to be paid on a regular basis – the government dues, taxes, electricity and water bills, salaries of housemaids, grocery, laundry, society dues etc. All these should be paid timely, so a timetable for work variety and diary reminders can go a long way in managing these.
Children’s education is a great responsibility which she has to shoulder. If kids are small, dropping and picking them from school, taking lessons, helping them with their extra classes, games, outdoor and indoor activities, play time – all are crucial, especially while the child is in a growing stage. College going children have their own requirements, so a mother has to be patient while dealing with smaller kids and teenagers. Attention, care and offering advice and help from time to time is what the children expect from their mothers.
There are times when the family members fall ill and medical care and attention has to be made available. There are happy occasions too, ceremonies, religious rituals, family functions and get-togethers where she has to attend and be a host too, sometimes. Providing elderly care with empathy and tolerance is a must for a woman to be successful on these delicate fronts.
It is also important that while taking care of others, she should also be aware of self-care, and see that she remains physically and mentally healthy. Proper nutrition, hygiene, preventive measures from illnesses, timely medical attention and compliance, vaccinations, exercises for back and neck, walking, yoga, pranayama, meditation, prayers, hobbies are a must. Having a friend circle to share her joys and pains is all that is needed for successful performance of duties at home and office with resilience, with a fine balance without guilt factor at either places, to be cherished for long.
(The writer is a doctor and social worker from Ponda)
