The Problem:
Although we know that self-care is important to our health and well-being, it’s easy for many of us to put it off or even forget about it. Not prioritizing self-care puts us at risk for relationship challenges, job burn-out, and negative physical and mental health outcomes. Taking deliberate care of our bodies and our minds is important. Self-care becomes a social justice issue when its inaccessibility negatively impacts already at-risk populations.
In general, Americans struggle with Distorted Self Perception. Our Society’s Weight Obsession often translates into a Personal Weight Obsession for many of us, especially women. These issues affect body image, self-esteem, and people’s relationship to food and eating.
We have a new set of self-care issues now that the novel coronavirus lives among us: Taking care of ourselves to avoid illness for ourselves and others, taking care of our mental health while sheltering-in-place, and continuing to practice general self-care to maintain our healthy bodies and minds. We recorded a few podcasts to address these issues directly as they relate to our current life, living through the current pandemic. So far, we’ve talked about Facing Change, and about making Creative Adjustments.
One way people attempt to provide self-care is through Pet Adoption.
Another way might be by looking for love, maybe even by Finding Love Online. There are lots of ways people choose to contribute to the world as we grow. In Love and Meaning After 50 we talk with the authors (Julie and her husband, Barry Jacobs) about the need for love throughout the lifespan and ways to make relationships as strong as possible.
Steps We Can Take:
People who have the luxury of taking care of themselves do so in many ways. While it’s an important act for every one of us, many don’t have the luxury of taking a physical or mental break from the stresses of life. If you are lucky enough to be able to so, don’t take it for granted. Also, work to help others by either offering ways for them to directly take care of themselves, or donate/volunteer in some capacity with a partial goal of making other’s lives just a little easier so that maybe they can experience self-care.
The Inner Strength Foundation (ISF) was founded by Amy Edelstein to foster ‘inner strength for outer stability’ in our youth. ISF brings mindfulness tools to over 5000 inner city classrooms in Philadelphia. Our youth face many stressors and this program offers them an opportunity to learn tools that can help them deal on a day to day basis. It has been shown to offer many benefits to those who take advantage of what they learn. Listen in to our conversation with Amy Edelstein: Be Still and Notice the Mind
Voices:
The Shrinks celebrated our one year anniversary doing the podcast together by offering up some self-care advice. Listen in to our One Year Anniversary Self-Care session.
Rhoda Fuchs-Morton, a Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor chatted with us about ways to work past obstacles posed by our own internal negative thoughts. Rhoda asserts that a compassionate stance comes from deep meaningful relationships and that it’s important to move out of anger, resentment, and blame into compassion for ourselves and others. Listen in: Please Don’t Speak to Me Like That