Women's History Month: What's Self-Care Got To Do with It?

by Annette Snider, Reach Therapist Intern

March is Women’s History Month. This is the month accomplishments of women are to be celebrated, shared, and remembered. Over the centuries, women have broken through many barriers. They have blazed trails to make a better world for all of us. Women have been successful in non-traditions jobs and careers, been strong advocates for justice, written policy, fought in the armed forces, created beautiful art and music, excelled in athletics, saved lives, broken records, taught and nurtured children, and loved fiercely and sacrificially, just to name a few.

As wonderful and exciting as it is to list the accomplishments of women, a common theme is that women are socialized to put others before themselves. For some women, this practice is where they gain their value. However, when serving others first gets out of balance it can lead to physical, emotional, and mental concerns (DiGiacomo, Davidson, Zecchin, Lamb, & Daly, 2011).

How do women make changes so they can continue to be healthy and strong in the important areas on life? The answer: Self-Care. Those two words typically get a “Yep, you’re right” response. Self-Care is often acknowledged; however, consistent follow through of truly caring for oneself is harder to maintain. In honor of Women’s History Month, let each of us look around at all the wonderful women in our lives, and encourage them to care for themselves. Some women know exactly what to do to reset back to a healthy place. Others struggle with identifying what that might look like. If you, or a woman you know, could use some help in creating a self-care plan, Pfeiffer Institute Reach is a place where that can happen.


DiGiacomo, M., Davidson, P. M., Zecchin, R., Lamb, K., & Daly, J. (2011). Caring for others, but not themselves: Implications for health care interventions in women with cardiovascular disease. Nursing Research and Practice, 1-5. doi:10.1155/2011/376020

Self Care

by Mackenzie Toland, Reach Therapist Intern

       All too often we find ourselves burning the midnight oil in our careers, our friendships, and our families. As Americans we have a tendency to work ourselves out of the pleasures of life. We are doing our careers and our interpersonal relationships a great injustice by not taking out time just to breathe and relax. This blog post is about granting ourselves permission to let go and do something for ourselves.
It is important to understand that self-care can help us when we least expect it. Self-care can be looked at as a shield of protection when things get difficult. The healthier we allow ourselves to be on the inside; the easier it will be to accept challenges that come our way. It is like the preventative maintenance tool of coping. Although challenges will remain difficult, we will have an extra tool in our toolbox to help us combat the stress. Not only will we be able to combat stress better but self-care also helps to enhance the overall experience of life.
       A great example of this is that I recently ran across an incredible artist and she was telling me the story behind one of her pieces. She explained to me that she was feeling lost and stuck and was having an extremely difficult time finding inspiration. She spoke of the great frustration and distress that it brought her to be without inspiration. She said that she decided to go on an artistic retreat in order to reset and renew and on the last day she created the piece we were speaking of. She described the piece as just flowing out of her once she had found peace within her self.
      Perhaps this scenario sounds familiar to you. Maybe you are feeling "stuck," whether it is in your career, your marriage, your life, and you are looking to find peace.  Therapy is an amazing vehicle for self-care, as well as, personal growth. With Pfeiffer Institute Reach’s affordable prices and empathetic ears, what are you waiting for?

Self-Care

by Katharine Sileo, Reach Therapist Intern

Everyone has a certain reservoir of emotional energy. What do you do to refill that reservoir when it begins to run low? How do you recharge your emotional energy? Do you let it get drained? Why not top it off daily?
Self-Care is something that is often overlooked and misunderstood. People think that they do not have time to take part in self-care practices or that doing one small thing every day would not make enough of an impact for it to be worth it in their everyday lives. However, if you talk to someone who takes the time to participate in self-care techniques they will happily disagree. My hope is that by the end of this post you will challenge yourself to initiate a self-care routine.
Why?
Taking care of yourself not only helps you but everyone around you. If you think that you have no time to take care of yourself because you are too busy with work, school, a spouse or children, guess what? They are not getting the best of you! Take at least 10 minutes a day to do something simple and you will be a better you which will benefit all of those people that you take care of!
When?
Right when you wake up, at lunch, on your way home from work, right after work, before bed. Any time is the right time.
What?
Anything that relieves stress!
• Rather than unloading the dishwasher while you have your cup of coffee, sit on the porch and enjoy the breeze, take a few deep breaths and appreciate the day
• Sit outside, notice what shape the clouds are like you did when you were a kid
• When you get home from work, take a bath rather than rushing through a shower
• Pour yourself a glass of wine and read a book before bed
• Take a walk with your spouse rather than turning on the TV
• Call a college friend and catch up
• Laugh!
• Meditate- download free guided mediation off the internet or onto your smart phone