Resilient Women: Leading the Way!
(Image Credit Drop the Label Movement on Unsplash)
With March being Women’s History Month, we can reflect on and appreciate the resilient women who have made a difference throughout history as well as those who are driving forces today in moving the world forward.
Let’s honour our mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, friends, and other women in our lives who choose to challenge the system and change the world for the better. In relation to this, Monday, March 8 was International Women’s Day 2021 and the theme this year was #ChoosetoChallenge. This theme reminds us that we are responsible for our own choices and with that choice we can call out gender bias and inequality to create a more inclusive world for all, not just on International Women’s Day, but every day.
Additionally, throughout their lives, women have overcome many obstacles. Whether it be raising children, climbing the corporate ladder, fighting for equal rights, battling racism and sexual harassment, or becoming empowered leaders, women continue to push through.
How do they do it? With resilience and perseverance.
How do we define whether someone is resilient and why is resilience important?
Over the last year, during the pandemic, we’ve heard many use the term “resilience” more frequently.
According to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), resilience is defined as the ability to recover from difficulties or change to function as well as before and then move forward. Some refer to this as “bouncing back” from difficulties or challenges.
Being able to bounce back from these tough situations is an important skillset to learn as it gives people the motivation that needed to move on and to continue making changes. Those who are resilient can cope with or adapt to stress more easily and can overcome and navigate through adversity.
By becoming resilient we become stronger.
Considering resiliency gives us the power to overcome obstacles and manage through hard times, it is no surprise that women who are resilient can take on any challenge they face.
Here are some reasons why resiliency matters.
Resiliency Improves Mental Health
While the Mental Health Commission of Canada says that 1 in 5 Canadians will directly experience a mental illness in their lifetime, it is possible for you to take an active role in contributing to better mental health for yourself through resiliency. Resiliency gives us the power to overcome stress and hold up under any pressure that may arise whether it may be in the workplace or in other parts of your life. With the ability to be resilient in tough situations you will be able to keep your mental health in check and your stress under control.
However, while resiliency is the main factor in being able to overcome these challenges faced, many companies don’t provide resources to help build resiliency or the proper tools for resilience and self-care for women working from home. Keep in mind that if you are feeling stressed, it is always a good idea to seek guidance from experts, or helpful tools and resources.
For more information on resiliency and self-care, we recommend checking out the Ten Tips to Increase Your Resiliency and the Self-care and Resilience Guide.
Resiliency Helps Us Adapt to a Changing World (COVID-19)
With the disruption of COVID-19 and its ongoing impact (now more than a year), having a strong sense of resiliency is what helped most companies through it. Some examples of this include jobs transitioning to online services as well as remote working to create safe spaces for employees. Additionally, many small businesses, especially those led by women entrepreneurs, were able to adapt their businesses and continue being trailblazers despite being affected by the state of the world.
Along with this, while many employees had to adapt to online and the changing atmosphere of the workplace, the reality for a lot of women was that they lost their jobs due to the global pandemic.
Thankfully, there have been many companies and groups that are trying to get women back on their feet again by promoting worldwide initiatives.
One notable initiative is #2MillionMentorMinutes which was started by Dee Poku, founder and CEO of the WIE Suite, a platform and community for female leaders. The program invites women and men to donate just 1 hour of their time in March to mentor women who have lost their jobs and are seeking to re-enter the job market. The goal of the program is to donate a total of 2 million minutes to women who are out of the workforce and represent the more than 2 million women who lost their jobs or had to leave their jobs in the last year. This program aims to offer guidance and help to those who need it and that’s resilience at its finest.
For more information about the program, you can check it out here.
Resilience Support and Resources Can Lead to Personal Growth
Resilience helps us to become successful and there are many women in our communities who are making choices and working to change the world. Whether it is our bosses, teachers, mentors, or friends, it is always recommended to reach out to others in your community and make connections. Building a support network can make communicating about any challenges easier and provide insight to help respond to changes or ways to become more resilient.
One of the best ways you can find strength in your community is finding someone you trust to talk to about your challenges and what you want to achieve. We are huge proponents of mentorship as you know! As mentioned earlier with programs like #2MillionMentorMinutes, mentors and coaches can also help guide you through these difficult times. Finding a mentor or a community network that can help you build that resilience muscle can be very beneficial for personal growth.
While no one is born with the trait of resiliency, it can be learned and developed over time. Thankfully, there are other resources available to help with resiliency training as well.
For more information on how to become resilient click here!
Norman Vincent Peale once said:
“Change your thoughts, and you change your world”
With this quote in mind, this Women’s History Month remember to stay safe, keep being resilient, and most importantly, celebrate all of the wonderful women in your life.
If you are interested in learning more, on Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m. we will also be holding our Women’s History Month webinar Redefining Resilience with the incredible Karen Dean. As a motivational speaker and bestselling author of the book We Are Unbreakable, Karen is on a mission to help people become resilient and overcome the challenges they face. Click here to register! Out of those who attend the webinar, one lucky winner will receive Karen’s book!
We hope to see you there!