Reclaiming Rest: The Power of Self-Care for Women's Wellness
In a fast-paced world where hustle culture often glorifies busyness and productivity, women are frequently left feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and in desperate need of rest. While working hard is important, it is always important to slow down and take a break, no matter what stage of life you’re in. Here are some strategies for self-care to follow this month.
Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri, a certified professional life coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area, helps students and adults create more balanced schedules to achieve their goals. Dr. Koodanjeri frequently stresses to her clients the importance of taking a break.
“A break is a way to rest and rejuvenate. When you take breaks, your quality of work goes up, whether you’re a student or adult,” she told mentioned.
Dr. Koodanjeri’s first recommendation to prevent burnout is to take frequent (and active) breaks.
“Frequent means after 1-4 hours of work, depending on the type of work you do. For students, for example, I recommend taking a break every 1-2 hours,” she said. “An ideal break would involve stepping outside to get some vitamin D. If that’s not possible, go and climb some stairs or do another physical activity.”
Along with breaks throughout the day, Dr. Koodanjeri recommends getting a proper amount of sleep in order to maximize productivity and stay healthy. However, she reminds her clients that what works for others may not work for them, and that they should avoid feeling ashamed for needing more sleep than others.
“There are some rare cases of people who can get away with 6 hours of sleep. Most adults need 8 hours, and some of us may need as much as 10 hours. It’s not shameful to sleep as much as your body needs. A lot of people have this idea that we should sleep what’s prescribed, but we are all different,” she added.
Finally, Dr. Koodanjeri stresses that rest is necessary in order to be more productive. Rest should not be looked down upon, as it is an integral part of the process.
“You work hard, are productive and avoid burnout by strategically placing rest in your schedule. People who go head first into doing a project without planning tend to be the people who burn out, because it’s too much, too fast. If you’re smart, you’ll get quality work done by inserting breaks and planning everything out,” she said.
Anya Warrier is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs. She is especially interested in writing about inequalities in science and healthcare.