Helping Yourself and Helping Others 423
Practice traditions that build inner strength. Many
communities have practices that help calm the body and mind,
as well as build inner strength. For example:
Yoga
prayer
meditation
T’ai Chi
Practicing these traditions regularly can help a person cope
better with stress and other difficulties in her life.
Helping relationships
It helps to have someone to talk to. In a helping
relationship, two or more people make a commitment
to get to know and understand each other. This can
happen in any relationship—between friends, family
members, or women who work together, or
in a group that already meets for another
purpose. Or a new group may
form because the people share a
common problem. These are
often called ‘support groups’.
Women often
help each other
by sharing and
listening as
they work.
➤ It is often easier
to turn an existing
group into a support
group than to create
a new one. But
be careful when
choosing helping
relationships. Form
relationships only
with people who will
respect your feelings
and your privacy.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012