RESILIENT WOMEN: The Power of Women Communities
And why every mid-life and older women should fit them into their life .....
Dear lovely ladies
I hope this fortnightly missive (and sometimes my chaotic musings!) finds you well and ready to face the end of the year?
Although we’re not there yet, such a LOT has happened, and as I write, the first UK budget under the new Labour government will be finalised ready to be published tomorrow (I’m writing this the day before) at about the same time as this newsletter drops into your inbox.
I can only hope and pray that the doom-mongering done by the cabinet over recent weeks is a PR trick so that when the budget is delivered, the electorate will issue a sigh of relief and think that it wasn’t as bad as they were expecting.
Well, that’s the hope. Time will tell!
It’s almost November, and so I’m changing my theme in all my online content and posts (to include this newsletter), for the rest of the year, to reflect what being in a community of women is like - either online or in real life.
I mean, after all, that this the ethos of the whole of what 45 Not Out is all about. So I thought I might as well delve a little deeper and talk all about my favourite subject.
The first one that I wanted to share with you, was a number of the benefits of belonging to one of these groups. Have a look below for just a few of them…
1. Shared Experiences
Being part of a community allows us to connect with others who understand our challenges and aspirations. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that social support is associated with better self-rated health among middle-aged adults, particularly for women[1].
2. Collective Wisdom
Communities offer diverse perspectives that can inspire new ideas and solutions. Research from the a US Midlife Women's Health Study shows that women in midlife face various challenges, including changing family relationships and work-life balance. Sharing experiences in a community setting can help address these issues[2].
3. Emotional Support
Having a supportive network is invaluable during life transitions. We all know just how soothing it is to know (and have conversations with) other women who are experiencing the same difficulties as us.
4. Networking Opportunities/Finding new friends
Here in the UK, the term “networking” is mostly thought of in a business sense. But, realistically, it just means the opportunity to meet like-minded people who you may not meet in your day to day life. And who hasn’t heard of cherished friendships theat have been formed all from having a quick conversation on a Facebook topic, etc. While specific studies on midlife women's networking are limited, research on social support in midlife suggests that connections with friends play a crucial role in women's self-rated health[1].
5. Inspiration and Motivation
Surrounding yourself with positive influences can ignite passion and drive. A study on women making sense of midlife across diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds emphasizes the importance of shared experiences and mutual understanding in navigating this life stage[4].
Because of all these benefits, it’s not for nothing that I created the free 45 Not Out Facebook group back in 2021 as tool to do all of this. The group has grown organically and I’m pleased to say that membership is now up to 240 fabulous, sassy and supportive women. We have some wonderful, ground-breaking conversations in the group. And of course, as this is a closed Facebook group, what is said in the group stays in the group ;)
If you’d like to become part of this community of fab, sassy women you can ask to join here. The doors are always open, and, if you meet some simple criteria, then you are welcome to enter into this wonderful group
But the whole joy of starting and developing the group is the wonderful women who are in the group, and all those wonderful women who have yet to join. Remember, when women come together, incredible things happen!
Looking forward to seeing you there
That’s a wrap from me - see you in a fortnight’s time
Una x
REFERENCES;
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10715567/
[2] https://womensmidlifehealthjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40695-018-0039-9
[3] https://www.ncsem-em.org.uk/2024/05/15/mental-health-in-mid-life-women/
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890406506000521
[5] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367549411412203?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.69
[6] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1367549411412203
[7] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254088536_Rethinking_social_support_in_women's_midlife_years_Women's_experiences_of_social_support_in_online_environments
[8] https://www.jstor.org/stable/583440