According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is being able to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.   The main goal of self-care is to prevent or control disease and preserve overall well-being through consistently taking care of various aspects of your health.

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Parenting is stressful, comes in various forms and amplifies the stress we feel through:

• Emotional overload - irritability, guilt, feeling on edge, or feeling that your failing when you're doing your best

• Cognitive strain - difficulty concentrating, decision fatigue, a feeling mentally cluttered

• Physical exhaustion - disrupted sleep, chronic fatigue, tension headaches or burnout symptoms 

• Relationship friction - conflict with partners, co-parents or family due to constant demands

• Identity pressure - feeling like you've lost parts of yourself outside the parenting role

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Romelia Gomez, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist shares various types of self-care and why it's important in reducing stress levels, increasing self-worth and increases feelings of belonging.  She provides an assessment tool to help parents and caregivers spot patterns and flag areas that are lacking.  She also provides strategies to help them cope with stress and a list of self-care activities that can be used.​​​​