By: Jessica Mathieu
Quality Data Coordinator
Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and to actively manage illness when it occurs. In healthcare, we are strongly encouraged to take care of ourselves to prevent burnout. However, as a working mom finding time between juggling work, after-school activities, dinner, and bedtime routines, taking care of oneself becomes almost impossible. Yet self-care is important for moms, and for everyone.
Taking the time to care for oneself has many benefits; we are better able to manage stress and anxiety, it gives us more energy, and helps us to focus – allowing us to better manage the many priorities we have in our lives. Self-care can take many forms: physical, emotional, social, and financial. It is important to take the time and identify what you need whether it be going for a walk, journaling, meditating, going out with friends, or creating a budget.
Partaking in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, increase happiness, and more. In a national survey, Americans cited benefits of self-care as enhanced self-confidence (64%), increased productivity (67%), and happiness (71%). Signs to help identify the need for (or need for more) self-care can be getting sick more often, increased moodiness, physical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, etc., feeling isolated, and depression.
Getting caught up in the day-to-day routine of work and caring for family can make it seem hard to take time to care for yourself. But it can be done. Simply start small, take 10 minutes of your day to spend on an activity that will help ease your mind. Once you have added this activity to your weekly or daily routine it will be easier to expand on it. Sticking to a routine is easier when you enjoy the activity. In making the care of oneself a priority, we don’t just help our own well-being, we set positive examples for our families. A healthy balance will allow us to enjoy motherhood and all its joys, without burning out.
Vagaro, Inc. (2021, January 14). Vagaro Survey Finds Three-Quarters of Americans Believe Self-Care Activities Provide Stress Relief. Newsroom. Retrieved from https://news.vagaro.com/press-release/survey-finds-three-quarters-of-americans-believe-self-care-activities-provide-stress-relief
James, Killian. 5 Warning Signs You Need More Self-care. https://arcadiancounseling.com/5-warning-signs-you-need-more-self-care/
