Covid Awareness

SELF-CARE FOR MOTHERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

This past year has not been easy. The whole world was brought to its knees as it fought tirelessly against an unseen enemy. The ‘Modern Plague Era’ has been especially tough on those who acted as the backbone of society - our essential workers which includes doctors, nurses, and the unacknowledged ones like our mothers. Even as our mothers comforted us, they grappled with anxiety and burnout themselves.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant spike in psychological distress in almost everyone. Furthermore, a study published on the website of Pediatrics - the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows a significant rise in negative mood in parents due to several crisis-related hardships including job loss, income loss, caregiving burden, and illness.

The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”. Self-care is not a luxury, but a necessity. Some facets of life that self-care encompasses are - physical health, emotional balance, healthy social life, and pleasant environmental conditions. The first step is to come up with strong personal reasons behind making this commitment. Next, create a checklist of things that you hold dear to yourself. An effective way to do so is by observing when you feel the happiest, things that motivate you, help you calm down and gives you a sense of comfort and security. Writing them down will enable you to go back to them whenever you feel lost or overwhelmed. Ease into the fact that your mind, body, and soul are deserving of love and care.

Self-care can be practiced through :

1. Physical fitness- It is indispensable to productivity. Pick any activity of your preference. Set easy, achievable goals that you can fulfill every day.
2. Have a balanced, nutrient-rich diet to keep your body healthy. Meal-prep beforehand for the week to relieve yourself from that burden at the end of each day.
3. Maintain proper sleep hygiene. Reduce caffeine intake before bed, stay away from screens and incorporate relaxation techniques into your night routine. Sleep in a cool, dark room.
4. Involve your children in the above activities. Not only will it contribute to your personal health, but also count as spending quality time, enriching them with invaluable lessons.

Apart from this, self-care can be incorporated in other ways as well. Create and maintain an emotional care routine. This can mean a ten-minute meditation session before bed, reading a piece of literature that provides you with emotional comfort, journaling your worries to get them out on paper, or practicing gratitude. Take notice of the emotional changes that you experience. Check in with yourself multiple times throughout the day. This will prevent spiraling into emotional distress without you realizing. Build a support network with your close friends, trusted family members and coworkers. Reach out to them whenever you need help or simply want respite from loneliness. Have compassion for yourself. Remind yourself that you are playing a pivotal role and that you are braver than many other people right now. Applaud yourself for it. If things get too overwhelming and you feel helpless, know that professionals are always ready to help without judgement. Feel free to book yourself an appointment with a mental health care provider.

As a parent, it can be difficult to take care of yourself but at the same time it’s important not only for yourself, but for others as well. Set boundaries with respect to time, energy, and duties. Keep yourself well-informed, but prevent information overload by setting a curfew on social media usage before bed. Avoid taking up additional tasks which drain your energy beyond your capacity. If there are tasks that can be done by someone else, allow yourself to drop them. You already have plenty on your plate which cannot be done by anyone else but you. Delegate tasks whenever possible. It is okay to ask for help from people around you.

Being a parent comes with a plethora of risks. It is important for us to recognize our own vulnerabilities before trying to protect others from theirs. Taking measures to prevent burnout is no different from putting on our own oxygen masks before helping others during an air emergency.