The International Women’s Day theme for 2022 is #Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow #BreakTheBias.

Through the ages, women have helped shape us as individuals and as a community, passing on the baton to us, teaching us to keep everything going at home and work, motivating us to be diverse, brilliant, going all out and making a difference to our planet. Be it scaling heights or sweating it out in the wild, nothing has stopped us and we’ve done it all.

"As a woman, I feel strong, and gender has nothing to do with the sport. And, yeah, it is perilous; you never know what will happen in the mountains, you have to be prepared at the time, and we are trained in such a way that we can face any risk," quotes the 28 year old star Indian Mountaineer Priyanka Mohite, who became the first Indian woman to summit one of the world’s highest peak, and win the most coveted 'Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’. Having scaled several peaks during her career, she firmly believes that gender discrimination has no place in any field and it’s just a matter of having the right mindset.

In another laudable achievement, Australian female filmmaker Claire Clements made Singapore’s first wildlife documentary ‘Wild City’ despite gender stereotypes and facing a medical setback. Being involved in every aspect of the documentary — from shooting to producing and directing, Claire mentions that it’s “a bit unusual to find a female camera operator” in such a male-dominated industry and feels that “you can take it as a judgement or you can take it as a compliment. Embrace that we [as women] are different and yes, we can do a male’s job too while remaining cool and strong.” She is breaking the stereotypes and works with a majority female camera crew.

During this season, as we honour the women who have come before us and those who will be trendsetters after us, we also need to know that we should be celebrating the distinctive experience of being a woman all year-round. We often overlook giving ourselves the care we need. Taking time to celebrate our wins, prioritizing self-care, going for periodic physical and emotional health checks, asking for help and getting those needed breaks to unwind, should be something that we regularly do. Recognizing and supporting the women around us, checking on them to make sure they’re doing okay and, letting them know that it is okay to not always be okay is important for our holistic well-being.

Some other tips to be emotionally healthy and well:

• Get enough exercise, 7-9 hours of sleep and plenty of sunshine
• Talk to a friend or family member if you’re going through a low
• Respect yourself and set boundaries
• Say “YES!” to opportunities aligned with your dreams and values
• Reward yourself as you make the small or big wins
• Indulge in healthy friendships
• Know that you’re worthy, capable and wonderful even as you accept and embrace your imperfections

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” quotes Maya Angelou. On this International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the custodians of care, commitment, challenges and conquests. “Here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them!” - A popular quote that’s as relevant today as it was in the past and will be in the future.

iSabel wishes all women a Happy International Women’s Day!