Mental Health:Group sensitises members on self-care

On Sep 6, 2023

The President, Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Oghogho Musa, has tasked wives of military personnel on the need to prioritise their self care and also stressed the need for them to pay adequate attention to their mental health and wellbeing.

Mrs Musa said this on Tuesday at a seminar with the theme, “Self Care and Work/Life Balance” organised by the National Defence College Officers Wives Association (NDCOWA) as part of activities lined up for the Graduation of NDC Course 31 participants.

She said the wives of officers were often left alone at the home front dealing with so much stress since their husbands were most times not around.

She said that sensitising military wives through such programme would help them to be able to cope with whatever stress or challenge they might face as primary caregivers at home.

“It is very important that we organise such programme for us to be able to educate the children, people around us and then to be able to deal with the total wellbeing of everyone around them,” she said.

The Coordinator of NDCOWA, Mrs Rhoda Olotu, said the programme would help to bring about an intentional attitudinal change towards the wholesomeness of being an officer’s wife and living right.

Olotu said the need to live up to expectations in terms of meeting extended family needs and many more reasons had compelled the modern day woman to go out in search of full time jobs that were mostly demanding while still holding on to their homes.

According to her, it will be stating the obvious that these take tolls on the women, not only physically but mentally.

“As military wives, who, most of the times have spouses that are engaged in service to our fatherland, it is even more demanding, if not chaotic in trying to find the balance. Self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health whilst that of work life balance is described as a division of one’s time and focus between working and family or leisure activities. Having looked at these two definitions, and from experience critically weighing the possibility of achieving them as officers’ wives seem to a layman like me almost impossible,” she said.

One of the Resource Persons, Dr Isioma Chukwuka-Nwodo, a Psychiatrist, said that mental health could be likened to a car with four wheels that was essential for all to enjoy a productive life.

Chukwuka-Nwodo said that women were vulnerable to a number of mental health problems because of several biological and socioeconomic factors they are exposed to.

She added that wives of military officers were even more stressed by the nature of their husband’s jobs.

According to her, adoptive coping responses like self-care and seeking support and help when necessary can help turn this stress into an opportunity for positive emotions, resilience and wellbeing.

Wumi/NAN