The importance of self-care for new mothers came up on BBC Breakfast yesterday morning. The old analogy of putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs, was made. If we don’t look after ourselves, how can we be there for others?
It sounds simple. Allow yourself a break, go for a walk, do something you enjoy. But often people are stopped from meeting their own needs because it feels selfish. How dare I do something just to benefit myself! Self-care becomes something wrong.
If you take the oxygen mask analogy then self-care becomes more palatable. More allowable. If I feel better, I am better for others. That isn’t so “selfish”. But this got me thinking. Why do we need the excuse that it is better for others? What about the idea of caring for ourselves simply because it is good for us? Are we not worth looking after?