As A Woman, What Remains If You Give Yourself Up? Ask Yourself Some Hard Questions Before ‘Settling’

Why do women give themselves or parts of our lives up after a certain point? Here’s how they can reclaim our identities.

As women, we are often asked to give up many things, a married woman in an Indian society, even more so. Hanging out with friends, having your own social circle, indulging in your hobbies or something as simple as watching your favourite channels are some of the things we tend to give up to accommodate other responsibilities. Very often your job is also pushed away from you so that you can accommodate your married responsibilities. We are living in the 21st century but I am sure even the most educated and liberal woman of today has had to face this process of pruning herself to accommodate her new avatar of a married woman. But my question is, what remains if you give yourself up? Here’s how we reclaim our identities.

Keep your individuality

So you like to colour your hair crazy or sing out loud? Do it. A marriage need not change your individuality. You married in the first place because someone loved who you are and the way you are.

Dress code

I personally believe that as long as you lead a respectful life, you need not adhere to unrealistic social norms or a particular dress code. Your moral character is not related to what you wear but it is related to how you behave.

I know an editor. She has been with me in college and throughout, she was famous for her sharp dressing sense. Post marriage, she was often seen trying to fit into a typical Indian daughter-in-law attire. The sharp dressed woman was lost behind clothes that did not enhance her looks and clothes that she did not know how to carry well. Her body type was different and she did not look good in traditional attires. Gradually, her confidence dimmed because of the silent frustration brewing inside, until she was diagnosed with fighting various pent-up stress issues. She resolved to stop pleasing others and started to address the question of her happiness. Gradually, as she made a comeback into her own life, she was a happier person and freer. Her health condition, with her happy mode, improved. She told me once, “It feels good to be like me.” Of course it does!

Friends

Many married women I know do not have the ‘time’ to meet up friends. Of course this statement never fails to leave me flabbergasted. Having a social circle and your own set of friends is healthy.  I see no reason why being married cannot allow a woman to indulge on a lazy weekend brunch or a late night all girls party once a week.

As I left the party I thought to myself – your married life cannot be complete without you in it.

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‘All work and no play make jack a dull boy.’ This proverb is not without a genuine reason. Interacting with friends helps you to destress. When you talk, you express, and thereby reduce stress. Secondly, you are happy when you interact with your friends because they connect with you not as a mother or as a wife but as yourself. It is important that you have your ‘you’ time. The fun factor too is important. You need to have fun and what more fun can there be than hanging out with your friends? On a personal level, married women who hang out with friends enjoy life more than those who confine themselves only to their home. The worst part is that those who don’t, they have nowhere to go when their children and husband decide to spend some time with their own friends.

Giving yourself up, just because you got married, is the silliest thing you can do to yourself. Without your individuality, source of income, friend circle or a way of life you are vulnerable enough to be taken for granted. Marriage is a beautiful concept where two mature adults agree on sharing their lives. Sharing your life does not mean give up on living yours. What will you share if you do not believe in living your own life?

Image via Shutterstock.

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