Why ‘me time’ matters for moms’ mental health
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. LADIES. OKAY, AFTER THAT FORECAST, THIS IS PERFECT. FIVE ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH THIS MORNING. MAXIMIZING YOUR ME TIME. EXPERTS SAY THOSE LITTLE BREAKS DURING THE DAY OFFER BIG BENEFITS, ESPECIALLY FOR MOMS. HERE IS HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DOCTOR ANTOINETTE KEARNEY, A PSYCHIATRIST AT MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM. DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THE TERM ME TIME. SOMETIMES IT CAN SOUND A LITTLE SELFISH OR YOU FEEL SELFISH SAYING IT, BUT WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT? SURE. SO IT’S DEFINITELY A TERM THAT NEEDS A REBRAND. BUT THE REALITY IS WHEN YOU TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF, YOU’RE NOT ABANDONING YOUR FAMILY. YOU’RE DEMONSTRATING TO YOUR KIDS WHAT MENTAL HEALTH SUSTAINABILITY REALLY IS. AND WE KNOW FROM THE STUDIES THAT MOMS ARE THE ONE DOING THAT INVISIBLE LABOR, THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR THE HOUSEHOLD, THEY’RE DOING THE SCHEDULING, THEY’RE DOING THE PLANNING, THEY’RE DOING THE ANTICIPATING. AND THAT MEANS WHEN YOU’VE GOT THAT ALWAYS ON FEELING, YOUR BRAIN IS RELEASING THAT STRESS HORMONE. WE CALL IT CORTISOL. TAKING A BREAK, RECHARGING, REFILLING YOUR CUP THAT LOWERS THE STRESS HORMONE LEVELS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AN EMPTY CUP JUST CAN’T POUR. I YOU’RE SPEAKING TO ME. I HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING. PUT YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK ON FIRST. MOMS. IN THIS CASE, WHAT WHAT CAN MOMS DO TO HELP THEMSELVES DURING A BUSY DAY? SO WE KNOW FROM STUDIES THAT ACTUALLY JUST TAKING FIVE MINUTES AWAY, WHAT WE CALL A MICRO BREAK CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU TO LOWER THOSE STRESS HORMONE LEVELS AND HELP YOU REFOCUS. SO TAKE A BREAK, STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, TAKE A SIP OF THAT WARM CUP OF COFFEE, GO FOR A WALK. ALL OF THAT CAN HELP YOU BE CHARGED. AND THEN IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE YOUR NEEDS. SET BOUNDARIES, TELL YOUR FAMILY, I JUST NEED 15 MINUTES TO STEP AWAY AND RECHARGE. THAT IS SO CRITICAL. IS THERE ANYTHING MOMS CAN DO OR REALLY ANYONE CAN DO TO HELP EACH OTHER? YOU KNOW, WHAT I ALWAYS SAY IS WHEN YOU’RE TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOU’RE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. DON’T BE AFRAID TO OPEN UP AND TALK ABOUT WHAT’S OVERWHELMING OR WHAT YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH, BECAUSE THAT CAN REDUCE THE STIGMA. AND IT LETS THE OTHER MOMS AROUND YOU BREATHE A LITTLE BIT. WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE. THE OTHER THING THAT HELPS IS WHEN WE CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER, IT ACTUALLY RELEASES A BONDING HORMONE THAT WE CALL OXYTOCIN. AND THAT’S PROOF THAT COMMUNITY IS MEDICINE. AND THEN FINALLY, DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. WE KNOW IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE KIDS, BALANCE LIFE BALANCE WORK. SO IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO MAYBE HAVE YOUR FRIEND TAKE THE KIDS, SHARE IN A PLAY DATE. RETURN THE FAVOR. ALL OF THAT CAN HELP YOU TAKE A BREATH. GREAT ADVICE DOCTOR ASH NAKANI, A PSYCHIATRIST WITH MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, THANK YOU FOR WAK
Small breaks can make a big difference for moms, and Mass General Brigham psychiatrist Dr. Ash Nadkarni explains why “me time” matters.
Small breaks can make a big difference for moms, and Mass General Brigham psychiatrist Dr. Ash Nadkarni explains why “me time” matters.