You spend a lot of time taking care of your kids and a lot of time taking care of your home. So when you decide to take some time for yourself: Wham! Mom guilt!
Yes, moms, it’s a real emotion when you feel bad about taking time for yourself. But a Cleveland Clinic doctor is giving you the green light and saying lose the guilt and embrace some “me time” because it’s good for your overall health.
“I think it’s the pressure coming from all sides of the work responsibilities, things need to get done at home, the shopping, the cooking, the laundry, and obviously children require a lot of attention,” said Dr. Melissa Young with Cleveland Clinic.
Young said while it’s natural to feel guilty, that shouldn’t stop you from taking time for yourself. Self-care is important for both your mental and physical health and gives you the chance to relax and focus on your own needs.
Young suggested imagining an “energy bank” -- you can’t always make withdrawals without making some deposits too.
And it doesn’t have to be anything major. You could do something simple like meditate, go for a walk, take a nice long bath, or spend time with friends.
“It’s really not a luxury, this is a necessity,” Young said. “Because at some point when we are under all of this chronic stress and guilt and there’s no downtime for our nervous system -- it ends up really down the road creating disease states. Our blood pressure can go up, it can actually increase risk for anxiety and depression.”
Young said if you notice your stress or anxiety is getting more frequent, or more severe, you should talk to your doctor about options that could work well for you.