A veteran broadcaster, Eugenia Abu, has advised women to be conscious of their mental health and be more optimistic for a better future.
Abu said this at a seminar to commemorate the International Women’s Day (IWD) Organised by Women Supporting Women Network (WSWN)
in partnership with the Eugenia Abu Media and Institute of Counsellors in Nigeria.
The theme of the International Women’s Day is #Breaking the Bias#.
International Women’s Day is observed annually on March 8, to celebrate the global “social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
The day also calls for action to advance gender equality.
She said women should not be discouraged by circumstances around them but rather encourage themselves.
Abu said in breaking the bias, every woman needed to be intentional about acquiring more knowledge, saying the more knowledge a woman acquired, the more she could rise professionally.
“When you are a better person, people around you will definitely benefit. Do things that make you happy.
“Women needs to be intentional and look up to people who they can mentor and also find a mentor too.
”They need to seize opportunities by taking online or offline courses and improve on their strengths, “she said.
A Work Psychiatrist, Mrs Oke Chinye said irrespective of the challenges, women folks should learn to take care of themselves and stop pretending that all is well.
She said women should leverage their strengths and not their weaknesses
”Stop faking it, a lot of women hide under make-up until they break down. Knowledge is powerful, keep adding knowledge.
” Action breeds confidence, inaction breeds fear, women need to build network support structures around them.
” They need to join networks that can add value to them and the ones that tear them apart, ” Chinye said.
A mental Health Expert, Hasiya Adamu-Binu, said prolonged sadness could lead to depression if not properly treated.
She advised women to take care of their mental and physical well-being, adding that women should seek professional help when facing circumstances beyond them.
The Founder of WSWN, Mrs Toyin Omozuwa, said the day offered an opportunity to call for change and celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played extraordinary roles, contributing to human and societal development.
Omozuwa urged all women to cultivate the culture of celebrating themselves, their achievements, however insignificant it seemed.
She noted that the 2022 IWD was a call to consciously unlearn the stereotypes women had been conditioned to live with and break the bias.
“At Women Supporting Women, we envision a world where women come together and help each other thrive.
“Our belief is that women should experience life free from poverty, violence, bias, exclusion and discrimination.
“We are therefore committed to enlightening and empowering women with the capacity and capabilities to explore their potential for living a fulfilled life in all spheres of the society, she said
