In commemoration of Women’s Month, the Employee Wellness Programme (EWP) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) held an online webinar on Women’s Mental Health Matters during the COVID-19 pandemic on Microsoft Teams last Wednesday, 5 August 2020.
It was facilitated by EWP’s manager, Samantha Rajcoomar and the main speaker was the Clinical and Counselling Psychologist, Nozibusiso “Nozi” Nyawose, who is also known for her work on the DStv programme named Utatakho.
Rajcoomar said the webinar was a starting point for women to obtain knowledge, resources, guidance and coping skills that can set them on a path to mental wellness.
“The psychologist will provide us with tools to cope adequately. The diagnosis and treatment of mental health in women rests mainly in education and the resources available to return to good mental health and wellbeing,” said Rajcoomar.
Giving insight on Nyawose, Rajcoomar said she is also an employee wellness specialist who is currently completing her PhD on employee wellness.
Nyawose said her presentation was to celebrate women, the queens and the rocks of the society, in an effort to bring to them psycho-education about their mental wellbeing.
“Happy Women’s Month to all the queens. Being a woman in this day and age is not easy, you are constantly balancing a multitude of responsibilities and fulfilling different roles while also still reaching our dreams and trying to make an impact in the world. It is now time to mind your mental health,” said Nyawose.
In an effort to help women mind their mental health, Nyawose unpacked different aspects of a woman’s life that may disturb her mental wellbeing.
Women and Work
At work women are victimised just because they are women and some have to go through sexual harassment. There is a lot of gender discrimination, women need to provide more evidence of competency than their male counterparts. They are often mistaken for junior positions because of mentalities that they are unable to take up big positions in societies. Sometimes their opinions are not valued on the table, especially if its full of men. Women are at war with each other, and some are not happy when the others succeed in life.
Women and Money
Women have been known to be emotional creatures, emotional and impulsive spenders. They are judged if they are unable to handle their finances. Due to being naturally emotional creatures, some women will have a tendency to overlook their finances, and have a tendency to overspend when they are going through psychological or emotional difficulties. Sometimes they use finances they have not budgeted for because they are going through emotional turmoil.
Women and Children
One of the most important roles that women have is that of being a mother. As a mother, one is a nurturer, a provider and a protector of her child. If a woman is mentally unstable, she is unable to take care of herself and will have difficulties protecting her children. A woman can be a great protector but find that she is emotionally attached or detached from her child. Some women are in top positions running big companies, that might impact on the time spent at home, making them feel as if they have failed as mothers.
Women and Relationships
Lots of women are suffering in silence when it comes to the relationships that they are in. There are various difficulties that women encounter and tend to suffer in silence because of fear of what other people might say. Gender Based Violence (GBV) is one of the common dynamics and women have to tackle this issue before it becomes a norm. Unfortunately, in some societies it has become a norm that if your partner loves you, he will beat you or violate you in any way. Some women suffer from marital rape because of not being aware that a husband or boyfriend can rape them. Women need to run away from protecting perpetrators and being in toxic relationships as it contributes a great deal in their mental wellbeing and stability.
Women and Health
Health is the most important thing that women need to focus on. If they are not healthy, their families are not healthy. Women have existing medical conditions, with this COVID-19 lots of underlying conditions are resurfacing. Some women are purposely infected with HIV by their cheating partners who refuse to use a condom. Unfaithful partners contribute to a lot of pain, stress, anxiety and depression. People are living with mental illness and do not seek help and some are also carrying for people who are mentally challenged at home. There is a lot of stigma around mental illness which also contributes to the women’s silence, leading to internal stigma.
In her conclusion to her during the webinar, Nyawose encouraged women to take time out and seek assistance when needed. She encouraged women to step out of their comfort zone and reminded them that nothing grows from a comfort zone.
Pictured: Psychologist, Nozibusiso Nyawose during DUT’s Women’s Mental Health Matters online webinar on Microsoft Teams.
Simangele Zuma
