We teach our children to take care of themselves and their bodies. We take them for regular checkups and see to their aches and pains. But do we go in for regular checkups? Do we ignore our aches and pains? Do we take care of our body?
We take such good care of ourselves when we’re pregnant- then suddenly we have a new life in our hands that needs all of our attention- and we fall to the wayside. We talk about being tired and having virtually no time to ourselves. As a result, we tend to brush off most fatigue, depression, anxiety and other health issues as being part of motherhood.
As we enter 2017, San Diego Moms Blog has turned our focus to guiding women in self-care. That involves many layers of how we nurture our selves as a whole. I think that a great place to start is to do a self scan of your body and how each part is feeling. This is the year to listen to our bodies and put our physical health towards the top of our priorities.
Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Mind. Body. Spirit.
-Dena Patton
These are some general recommendations:
- See your gynecologist. You might be due for a pap smear- here’s a link for information about how often they’re recommended. This is a great opportunity to bring up any questions about future pregnancies or an irregular menstrual cycle.
- Depression and anxiety shouldn’t be taken lightly. Reach out and talk to someone about how you are feeling. Or even start with recognizing that you might be experiencing some mild depression or anxiety- don’t ignore it. It might take a little work to find the ‘right’ therapist but once you find them you can start working towards a better life.
- See your dentist. This may sound crazy, but since becoming a mom, I now see dental visits like a mini break from home.
- Don’t ignore persistent pain. It’s easy to ignore a sore knee or some mild back pain, but you’ll be grateful once you know the cause.
- Do regular self breast examinations. Here is a helpful guide.
As we celebrate the New Year we often default to resolutions that involve losing weight. Women find themselves thinking of health in terms of what their scale reads. Measuring success in overall health and well being isn’t as easy as comparing current to past body weight. We have long lives ahead of us. Our children need us, our families rely on us. It’s up to us to make sure we do our part to care for our health.
We want to connect with you! Our mission in 2017 is to raise more awareness for self-care. We have various support groups and we have tons of events planned to reflect this mission and purpose. Read more here. And please use #SDMBselfcare2017 to follow along with us on this mission!
Nice list! I would add investigating any ongoing fatigue.
I know during my early mom years I fought fatigue and did not realize it was a symptom of something besides being a mom. Too many doctors were quick to write off my symptoms. I finally realized that to be at the top of my health, I needed to go beyond what was being offered by my conventional medical practitioners. It was only through my continued persistence that I was able to get at the cause and make some adjustments in my lifestyle that resulted in better health and less fatigue.
Now, how do we get our men to take their health seriously…. seriously. 🙂
Thank you so much for the reply Lori! I do agree that if you feel you aren’t getting answers through conventional medicine to look beyond that! We’re lucky to live in a community where there is an abundance of alternative healing and things like essential oils and meditation are getting more attention. Like you said it’s adjustments to lifestyle that can make a difference. I’ve seen so many instances where dietary changes can improve quality of life and at least lead to a person seeking more help.
Now for men that’s a whole other struggle!
Comments are closed.