BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
South African women are familiar with the isiZulu phrase, ‘wathinta umfazi, wathinta imbokodo’ which means ‘you strike a woman, you strike a rock’ in English. Although this phrase’s original intention was to recognize and celebrate the strength of women, over the years, more women are becoming conscious to how toxic it can be to always be strong – especially because it has expected of women to carry burdens and not complain or tire.
Wearing many hats: mom, wife, career-woman, and many others, is made to look easy by women, however there’s nothing normal about overworking yourself and never having time or energy to fill up your cup.
Cape Town blogger, Dhanusha Dhoorgalu highlights this in her blog, and encourages women to take time, daily, to practice self-care and not just once a week, on a good week.
“Most of us realize by now that self-care is healthcare. It’s necessary for our wellbeing and health. Without it, we are unhappy, sick, or miserable, if not all. It needs to be prioritized in our lives so we can feel healthy and happy,” she tells The Fuse.
Dhanusha started her blog about five years ago to help women of color find beauty products that suit their skin tone, but recently she’s been delving more into teaching and encouraging self-care.
“I was raised with many teachings and practices that places huge importance on many of the topics of self-care. I am always someone who will advise you look internally for the answers and wisdom. But I realized that what I was raised with is not the “norm” others were raised with.”
Dhanusha’s Self-Care Methods
At the age of 22 while working a 9 – 5 job before starting her blog, Dhanusha had a nervous breakdown which was due to stress and burnout. Majority of her experiences in the corporate world were toxic. These were small companies, however the politics, micromanaging and lack of boundaries in these spaces almost drove her over the edge – it was time to leave.
Although entrepreneurship has its fair share of challenges, Dhanusha wouldn’t change it for anything. Blogging and raising awareness about the importance of women taking care of themselves has helped so many people, including Dhanusha herself.
“I have many self-care activities that range from yoga, pilates, going on walks, and journaling to spending time with loved ones. I also enjoy a wide variety of interests including art. I use mindful and holistic coaching method. I use energy management, boundaries and self-awareness as a basis of my coaching. These three things when combined have a great impact,” she says.
“Most people overthink self-care and doubt themselves. Self-care can be the simplest thing, but the effect can be miraculous. If you make self-care an important aspect of your life, you will likely feel a lot less stressful and more fulfilled. You would worry less and love more. It really opens you up to connection,” Dhanusha adds.
There’s still a long way to go, but Dhanusha is grateful that more and more women are welcoming the idea of not only being soft and vulnerable, but also being comfortable to reject things, activities and people that will drain them.
“You have the power to change your life. You ultimately are responsible for your selfcare i.e. Your health and wellbeing. You also can’t live for Friday’s forever and hate Monday’s,” she concludes.
Connect with Dhanusha:
Email: editor@missdhanusha.co.za.
Socials: @miss_dhanusha
