As women we live and lead very busy lives due to the multi-faceted roles we play. We are a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother and also a friend. Over and above these relational roles, as women we also play the roles of the counselor, confidant, advisor, fashion stylist, and emergency nurse to our family and friends. These roles leave us exhausted and with very little time to take care of ourselves. We tend to take care of everybody else except ourselves, mainly because we have been socialized to put the needs of others before our own.
What we don’t realize is that, for you to effectively take care of others, you have to take care of yourself first, that is SELF-CARE. It should not be viewed as being selfish and it’s definitely not overlooking the needs of others. Self-care is looking after your physical and mental well-being. Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. You can practice self-care by taking time to acknowledge your worth, taking care of your physical and mental health by eating nutritious food, getting restful sleep, exercising regularly and constantly and intentionally doing activities that make you feel good.
Be aware of what drains you; take steps to replenish your mental and physical health. Purpose to practice self-care daily and intentionally treat yourself as kindly as you would treat others.
Mationesa Sadomba is a resourceful, hardworking and caring counselor with knowledge of offering support, rehabilitation and guidance to clients who have experienced challenges and setbacks in life. She is an encourager and a teacher and loves working with individuals, groups and communities to help them find solutions to their problems. She aspires to be a successful sustainability oriented Social Development professional, capable of ensuring programme validity and relevance.
