10 Rules Women Should Practice to Improve Quality of Life

March 8 is celebrated as international women's day, to recognize the success and achievements of women all around the world. On this occasion, I thought of articulating few of the common practices that we as women need to follow in order to be strong and happy.

1.Stop Feeling Guilty:

As women, we often carry the guilt feeling with us in our everyday lives. No matter how hard we try to strike that perfect balance in all the different roles that we play, there lacks a sense of satisfaction inside us. We often downplay our efforts and exaggerate the flaws. 

 Am I being a good mother? Am I contributing enough at my workplace? Is my house being maintained nicely? Wish I could make more home cooked meals? Am I giving enough support to aging parents? These are some of the questions that keeps juggling in our head all the time. How to get rid of this guilt feeling?  It's possible only if we forgive ourselves for our flaws. We need to learn to appreciate our own self and stop being our own critic. We should just try our best effort and accept the outcome as is.

2. Ask for Your Share:

When I was growing up, I have often noticed my mother giving up her share of happiness for other members of the family. She will never ask for her favorite food or cloths. This is common in our Indian culture. Women do sacrifice a lot for the betterment of their husband and kids.  But the irony is, they never get appreciated for that effort. Instead people forget their likes and dislikes over time. That's why it's essential that we must ask for our portion of the happiness. We should not be afraid of asking for a raise at our workplace for our efforts. 

3. Be Independent:

When it comes to independence, it's a big challenge for women. It's not just about financial independence, but what is needed is the overall freedom. I have seen both sides. Women who are not financially independent striving for their own source of income and women who are quite successful in their career, lacking the emotional freedom. Freedom to make their own choices, without being judged by anyone. 

4. Seek help when needed:

This is a common practice that women take long time to ask for help. We feel like we can do things on our own and handle all our problems alone. But sometimes, there is no harm in seeking help. So whenever needed don't hesitate to ask for help.

5. Support Other Women:

It's a hard truth that we lack the community support among women in the society. There could be multiple reasons behind it, or we can blame the feminist nature itself. But, if we must be successful in our life, we need the constant support of our female friends, co-workers, and other women around us. Together we can make incredible things happen. So be supportive to other women around you. Encourage them, mentor them and help them as needed. You will receive the goodness back. Even if you don't get in return at least you will have the happiness of giving.

6. Learn to say NO:

We often struggle to say "No" to requests. We believe in the "Yes" culture, where people saying yes, all the time goes ahead. So, whenever somebody asks for something, we try our best to adjust it our end to accommodate. This leads to degradation in our quality of life. We should practice the habit of saying "No" when needed to make our life less stressful. We should not be people pleasure as the result is you can't make everyone happy.

7. Taking Self-care:

There is no denial to this fact that we ignore our self, while taking care of the family. There is practically no time in the calendar for most of us. Every minute is dedicated to either household work or kids or official work. That's the reason, self-care is being promoted these days. Women need to nurture themselves both physically and mentally in order to be able to get the energy they need to run things around. 

8. Create your own happiness:

As women, we derive our happiness from others around us. We have this self-imposed goal on us to make everyone happy. So, we constantly work towards achieving this goal. With this process sometimes we exhaust ourselves.  Its critical for women to have their own source of happiness. Do something for yourself that you truly enjoy. After all you deserve the happiness for making other's happy.

9.Stand up for your own beliefs:

Strong women believe in standing up for their own beliefs. They are not afraid of getting judged by others. It gives them the sense of integrity and value. It boosts their self-confidence. They are never part of the herd mentality rather they are the people, whom other's follow. Try to be that unique person.

10. Forgive others:

It is in the core nature of women, that they are forgiving. By forgiving others, we let go off our past grudges and can enjoy the present moment to its full capacity. It's the way to be at peace with yourself. Your heart gets filled with love, only when you make space by removing all the negative feelings from it.