What is International Women’s Day?
And what does it mean to be Superwoman and SuperHuman on International Women’s Day?
According to the International Womens’ Development Agency (IWDA) International Women’s Day (8 March) is a day for us to join voices with people around the world and shout our message for equal rights loud and clear: “Women’s rights are human rights!”
We celebrate all women in all their diversity. We embrace their facets and intersections of faith, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, or disability. We celebrate those who came before us, those who stand beside us now, and those who will come after.
It’s a time to celebrate the achievements of women, whether social, political, economic or cultural.
It’s a time to celebrate every woman as Superwoman while recognizing that every woman is also superhuman.
Have we come a long way? Yes.
Do we still have a long way to go? Yes.
Women are fighting. We are fighting to be seen, heard, and respected. To not be called or thought of as emotional, hysterical, or hormonal if we get angry in the workplace or world.
We are fighting to feel safe.
We are fighting to be Superwoman, with all that we do to have a career, family, and a life with passion on purpose. And in the midst of all that, we are exhausted. We need a reminder that we are also Superhuman.
And therein lies the grace. The grace we offer ourselves and each other.
Whatever you are fighting for this International Women’s Day, remember to take care of YOU.
Superwoman to Superhuman – an excerpt from Wheels to Wellbeing
Many of you are living life at Mach 3 speed. You fill your calendar from well before sunup to way past sundown, often working or simply “doing” into the wee hours of the night. You attempt to multi-task everything: your job, spouse, kids, parents, friendships, church, household chores, yard work, groceries and meal preparations, checkbook, and workouts. You think you need to do it all until you can’t. And therein lies the difficulty. Because, after all, you are human.
When asked, “How are you?” you reply, “Busy. My husband’s busy. The kids are busy. We’re just all so busy. I can’t wait for things to slow down.”
Sound familiar?
You are not alone. On days that you succeed at being a superwoman, you fall into bed physically exhausted but emotionally overstimulated. That’s when your brain works overtime, criticizing you for the quality of time you were able to devote to each individual person and task while at the same time jumping ahead to tomorrow and the rest of the week, hoping and praying that you don’t forget anything and that nothing falls through the cracks.
You are constantly overwhelmed and on the edge of burnout. You no longer feel like a Superwoman because you feel super-flawed. You stumble through your days, hoping that tomorrow will be better, easier, slower. You need a respite from your hyper-connected life where it feels like you are always “on.” You long for a break but don’t feel empowered to give yourself permission to take one. The busier life gets, the more you begin to take shortcuts:
- “My job is so crazy this week. I’ll just skip my morning prayer and meditation. I’ll get back into it next week.”
- “I’m too exhausted to cook tonight. I’ll just grab some takeout. One unhealthy meal won’t hurt us.”
- “I’ll skip my workout and stay late at work tonight so I can get ahead. I’ll make it up next week.”
Unfortunately, one shortcut or skip of something essential to your healthy mind, body, and spirit makes it easier to do again, and again, until suddenly your skipping of healthy habits becomes the norm instead of a once-in-a-while exception.
You also start neglecting yourself. “Self-care? What’s that?” You reason:
- ‘When the kids are older we can prioritize our relationship and enjoy date nights.”
- “When the kids graduate I’ll be able to focus on my hobby and my passions.”
- “Self-care is selfish. There are just too many people in my life that need me.”
- “I need to build my career first. After I’m established I’ll make time for family and friends and for myself.”
You wait until you hit rock bottom to slow down, set boundaries, and put your own needs first. Often it takes a crisis to get you to slow down—a death, divorce, an illness, or a global pandemic to cause you to pause, reassess, and reset. Sometimes your body slows you down, other times life brings you to an immediate and drastic halt. But you don’t have to wait for a crisis to practice self-care and find more balance in your life. You can release your need to be Superwoman and become the hero in your own life.
Here’s the thing: if nothing changes, nothing changes. You have to decide to take the time to analyze, reprioritize, and balance your life, set boundaries, and deliberately choose to live your life more abundantly so that you can experience more calm and presence in your life. So that you can live your life on purpose, filled with passion, and in service to others. You can live a life of true health, love, laughter, and freedom—in your body, mind, and life. It will require deliberate action toward creating healthier habits and learning new tools to examine where your life has gotten so busy and off balance.
That’s why I wrote this book: to help you look at your life differently so that you can go from Superwoman to superhuman and, in the process, develop the awareness and skills to enjoy a more balanced life.
Additional Resources:
From my blog:
- Women can be fierce competitors or powerful collaborators.
- Ask for Consent. Hold out for Enthusiasm.
Learn More about International Women’s Day:
- International Womens’ Development Agency (IWDA)
- Equality Now, A Just World for Women and Girls
My Books:
Thank you for reading, thank you for your support!
With love, gratitude, and kindness,
Lori
