International Women’s Day and Women’s Mental Health

By Hailley Dias, MSW Student

International Women’s Day was earlier this month, on March 8, 2025. International Women’s Day is celebrated annually and strives to honour the many achievements of women, including social, economic, cultural, political and more. It also advocates for gender equality. Lastly, this day serves as a call to action for acceleration in gender equality. To learn more about International Women’s Day and how you can get involved visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ 

An important aspect of women that directly impacts their achievements is their mental health. Women’s mental health is focused on the psychological wellbeing of women that can be directly influenced by biological, social, and cultural factors, as well as other life experiences. Women are often tasked with the responsibility of looking after the house and children, while also being part of the workforce. This means that their own mental health sometimes gets forgotten in the shuffle of everyday life and meeting the needs of those around them. Further, women are more likely to internalize struggles and not talk about the stress, sadness, or other feelings they might be experiencing. This makes it harder for women to support one another, that is why checking in with the women in your life and reaching out for support from those around you is important.

Sometimes when we are feeling upset, we don’t want to talk to others and that is okay. Sometimes self-care can be enough to help us bounce back from adversity. Self-care are acts or activities that someone engages in to promote the multiple aspects of health. Self-care will look different for everyone, but some common strategies include reading, gardening, listening to music, taking a bath, talking to a friend or loved one, mindfulness exercises, physical activity, etc. The important thing about self-care is that it makes you feel better.

Sometimes talking to the people around us or self care is not enough and that is okay. Support is available for issues including stress, depression, anxiety, relationship help, substance issues, etc. through free counselling and psychotherapy at WCHC. Please contact us to learn more. You can self-refer to these services by stopping by or calling 519-664-3794 (for St. Jacobs) or 519-656-9025 (for Wellesley or Linwood) or request this through your medical provider. Our services are for people who have either no or limited private insurance coverage for counselling and psychotherapy.