Women in India are marching ahead, bending gender stereotypes and breaking glass ceilings. More than 51 per cent women are employable in India and, in fact, have constituted India’s employable talent since 2016. In 2022, women held 17.1 per cent of the corporate board seats in India, up from 9.4 per cent in 2014. Women represent 14.4 per cent of the total members of the Lok Sabha. The female literacy rate in 2021 was 91.95 per cent, up by 14 per cent in 2010.
While women need to celebrate these milestones, they also need to pay attention to and prioritize their wellbeing so that they continue believing in themselves, moving forward to bigger milestones and making this world a better place. Ignoring their health in the pursuit of professional and personal goals could in the long run leave them with chronic lifestyle illnesses that could impact their physical and mental wellbeing.
However, they can prevent such an outcome by adopting a ‘Wholistic’ lifestyle characterised by healthy eating, plenty of movement, giving back to the community, taking care of the planet and living with purpose and intention. Today, technology can help them live such a life by providing them access to tools and resources that can help them eat, sleep, move and feel better.
Here are some simple and innovative interventions that women can adopt to get started on taking the first step towards their wellbeing.
1. Conversational AI; creating a therapeutic alliance
Artificial Intelligence is booming in 2023. It is bringing ease in living and new innovations across the globe. One such role that AI is playing is that of creating a therapeutic alliance equivalent to a human therapist by having conversations with humans. Apps such as Wysa are building such conversational AI which also ensures an anonymous, safe space to work through worries and stressors, preventing them from escalating in severity and towards illness. This feature guides users through both curated CBT programs and on-demand support.
2. A Digital Coach for All Your Wellbeing Needs
RoundGlass Living is an integrated wellbeing app that can help women chart their individual wellbeing journeys by offering practice pathways such as yoga, meditation, food, music, and more. The app provides wellbeing guidance and science-backed content curated by the world’s best teachers that can help women reduce stress and anxiety, manage difficult emotions, develop healthy habits, and nurture relationships. Women can access hours of meditation classes, cooking courses hosted some of the world’s leading chefs, browse through hundreds of healthy recipes from around the world and tune into healing music playlists and sleep stories.
3. Navigate your mental health anytime with 24x7 online support
Time management has always been an issue for women. What they need is around-the-clock guidance and support which can help them navigate through life 24x7. YourDost is such an app which connects its users online 1-on-1 with an expert of their choice. It anonymously connects its users with the right expert from their panel consisting of psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, life coaches and career coaches, who understand and guide them through entirely confidential individual sessions. The 24x7 online support feature of the app has made accessibility much easier.