Vim & Vigor - Fall 2020 - GMC - 12

12

"It's much easier to go get a
pedicure than to, say, go to therapy,"
says Robyn Gobin, PhD, a clinical
psychologist and author of the book
The Self-Care Prescription.
"There is an element of immediate gratification to it-as soon as
they polish, you see the pretty color
and you get to see the immediate
effects," she says. "When you go
to sleep early or set a boundary in
a relationship, it might not feel so
great initially, but the long-term
benefits are immense."
Think of self-care as being your
own parent: Sometimes you just
have to do what's best for yourself,
whether it's fun or not.

Put Yourself First-It's
Good for Them, Too

FALL 2020 VIM & VIGOR

Sleep is crucial to a
person's well-being.
Studies have shown
that poor sleep patterns often go hand in
hand with health conditions including hypertension, obesity and
diabetes. Not getting
enough sleep can compromise your immune
system, make you more
susceptible to heart
disease and contribute
to dementia. It can even
make you feel lonelier.
Yet sleep is often
one of the first things
to go when a person
becomes a parent.
A study published in
2019 in the journal
Sleep found that parents' sleep quality
declines sharply once
a child is born and that
women lose significantly more sleep than
their male partners.
"Your child will need
you, and you'll want to
have plenty of energy
to play with them and
to guide them," says
Usha Nayak, MD, a
physician at Northside
Pulmonary & Sleep
Medicine. "Allowing
yourself to get worn
out, upset or cranky
doesn't help anyone."
Dr. Nayak says to
establish a healthy
sleep routine and do
your best to stick to
it: Go to bed and wake
up at the same time
every day, even on the
weekends. Shoot for
seven to nine hours
of sleep per night.

6
years
Women and men do
not return to pre-baby
levels of sleep duration
or satisfaction for up to
six years after the birth
of their first child
Source: Sleep

Reduce or eliminate
screens before bed.
And if you're a new
parent in those foggy
newborn days, ask for
help-from a partner or
a trusted family member or friend-to make
sure you're getting the
rest you need to be
there for your child.

PHOTO BY JOHN KUCZALA

Are you a parent? Do you take
care of other family members-a
partner, maybe, or a parent of your
own? Do you support your friends
when they need it? Taking care of
other people can be a wonderful
thing-and a difficult one.
"Even if you love them like crazy,
taking care of someone else is a
really hard thing to do," says Arthur
Lavin, MD, chair of the American
Academy of Pediatrics Committee
on Psychosocial Aspects of Child
and Family Health.
He referenced the oft-used metaphor of flying on a plane in an
emergency: The flight attendants
tell you to put the oxygen mask on
yourself first, then your child.
"If the parent is worn out, it
doesn't help the child at all," Lavin
says. "To be a good parent, you have
to take good care of yourself, too."
But first you must give yourself permission to do so. It sounds silly, maybe,
but it is a true barrier to self-care.
Women often feel as if taking care
of themselves is selfish, Gobin says,

Sleep Isn't
Optional
Vim & Vigor - Fall 2020 - GMC

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