Series: The next six books (Real Self Care)
For: The mom looking for self-care that actually sticks. | 3 min read
For: The mom looking for self-care that actually sticks.
Please don’t give new moms another ‘to-do’ on their list.
Book the massage.
Buy the fancy skincare.
Take a yoga class.
Take the girls weekend.
These things help, but they’re all bandaids for a bigger problem: Burnout.
Moms are still expected to do it all. When we take time for us ourselves, we get judged – and then we judge ourselves.
Here’s book rec #1 for new moms:
💫 Real Self-Care by Pooja Lakshmin
This book felt like talking to my therapist and life coach. It helped me:
🌟 See self-care as an internal process, not a product.
🌟 Set boundaries, and get more comfortable with the guilt that comes with it.
🌟 Get good at self-compassion (talk to myself like I would a friend).
🌟 Get clear on my values, then use them to make decisions.
🌟 Reclaim power from systems that weren’t serving me.
This process wasn’t easy. I had to question beliefs I’ve had for years, but that’s also why it stuck.
The biggest thing this book gave me was agency. Getting clear on my values made me more confident in the choices I made for myself and my family.
One thing that became really clear: I have a hard time accepting things that feel unfair. The more I saw how our systems were failing moms, the more I wanted to change them. That’s what helped me find my voice as a maternal health advocate.
As Pooja says: “Real self-care isn’t selfish. It’s the foundation that allows us to keep showing up for the people we love – including ourselves.”
Follow the conversation on LinkedIn.
Read my full blog on Postpartum Support International The Next 6 Books I’d Gift a New Mom.
Read the original post that became a top search result for ‘New Books for New Moms’ here.
Learn more about what I’m fighting for.
