We, the doctors, healers and educators are one privileged group where “caregiving” is the grass root word of our profession. I would like to start with a big shout out to all of us caregivers and caretakers, which is a 24/7 of a “giving job” every day and we all do it with utmost sincerity without being conscious of our own self needs.

In this overwhelming multitasking loop of work responsibilities including house chores → professional duties → parent duties (especially with both spouses working) → taking care of elderly parents or in-laws → Social duties → our own health issues (more after mid 40s) we hardly have any time for ourselves. Let’s all accept that in this busy world, hardly anyone has time for others, and we all have felt that when we are unwell not many will be around us to take care, except for our immediate family members. I read through this quote by Tyranne West that "you can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first”. It’s high time we realized that self-care is an absolute necessity and it’s not being selfish.

The initial step towards self-care is to decide consciously to commit ourselves to give time, to slowdown, to listen to our body and mind. The next step is to plan a simple yet effective routine prioritising self-care. Balancing the 24 hours is the key and without being preachy, I hear by share a simple “Formula of Eight”, which works wonders if practiced in a disciplined consistent manner.

• 8 hours of hard work, including professional duties

• 8 hours of time spent on

  • 2Fs - Family and Friends

  • 3Hs - Health Hygiene and Hobbies

  • 3Ss - Soul, Service and Smile

• 8 hours of good sleep.

I think changing the stressful mornings to slow mornings and having morning routines which act as battery chargers of body and mind for the whole day chores is a game changer! Waking up early is one of the best habits to invest in, as states this lovely quote ”OWN the world before it owns you”. Some simple tips to start the day with a healthy mind spending 10 minutes as soon as we wake up in quietness, gratitude, reaffirmations, and planning for the rest of the day, to kickstart with a positive mindset, listening to 10 minutes of soothing music or favorite songs will give us the happy hormones which are very much required for the start of a good day. No mobiles, please, at least for first half an hour.

For a healthy body: Hydration comes as the first most important thing. Even sips of plain water does enough good, if we don’t have time for all the various detox solutions, which have become such a fad!! Spending 10 to 15 minutes, doing simple stretches or if we have the luxury, going for half an hour walk in the morning is the best practice and our body and mind will thank us for this morning routine, followed by this a healthy guilt free breakfast, power packed with nutrients will set our body for the physical and the mental challenges which we all have to face for the rest of the day. So, having a protein rich breakfast becomes inevitable and nowadays we all have become calorie conscious, so the best things to add are seasonal fruits and fiber rich veggies, with NO or avoidable junk food for the whole family, including when we pack our kids tiffin boxes!! It’s good to pack a few nuts or fruits or some boiled veggies or salads compared to the biscuits or the bakery products. Our kids will thank us later for this hard work that we do every morning!

Once we are done with this, there are some well-being tips to follow at workplace. Reaching on time will give us the confidence and wearing a smile and a confident body posture, greeting everyone well is a good way to start our work and maintaining a healthy work environment with a good camaraderie at workplace should definitely help. Of course, being kind and helpful is a great add-on. Eg: providing emotional support to patients or attenders or people who require them will always give us the moral quotient which we all need.

There are times when we have to learn to say no to avoid ourselves from becoming overwhelmed when we have our plate full of work to be done and when somebody request us to cross a boundary. I think we all have to learn to say no for our own good to prioritize our own health and care first. Managing the workplace challenges on a day-to-day basis is something that we all learn through the journey as doctors, as facilitators, as educators, as healthcare providers and it’s a never-ending learning process. One of the most important things which will help us is leave workplace issues at workplace. Now this needs mastery!

After work we all come back home with almost drained energies. So, at home family comes 1st. Investing in quality time being spent, especially with spouse first, and if both are Doctors believe me these saves marriages! Next comes, spending quality time with kids. This is the most demanding of all for which we all need to energize our batteries (with a cuppa and healthy snacking). Last, but most important thing is, if we have elderly parents or in laws at home, giving time to them becomes a very important social responsibility on us and believe me our kids are watching us, so we are teaching them how to take care of us when we grow old!

Moral learnings are also one of the highest forms of self-care. Having small chats with elderly as to how their day went and how they are feeling or do they need any help? Do they need some necessary stuff which we might have forgotten to cater to, so this makes them feel cared and gives us a sense of goodwill.

Coming to friends, we all have to agree that with our busy packed schedules, meeting up with friends often, definitely is not something that all of us can afford to, but once in a while, even a phone call with some of your close friends, sharing your problems or taking their advice whenever it may require does help.

Now, coming to 3Hs, of which the most important is our Health. We are all health providers, but when it comes to taking care of our health, somewhere, we tend to neglect. Now, it’s high time irrespective of the age especially post Covid era. All of us have to be more diligent with regular health checkups. At least once every year we have to get a master health checkup done in order to keep a tab on health and basic tests like a CBC, HBA1C and FBS. Ladies, please go in for a Pap smear screening or get an HPV vaccination, if it’s indicated. Not to neglect, mental health does matter too! Few things to remove for a healthy mind - toxic friends, living in the past, unnecessary comparisons and stress, having a fixed mindset and negative emotions like anger, anxiety, jealousy, etc.

Next comes, Hygiene. A clean body is a canvas for a clear mind, and a good hygiene paves the path for confidence and peace. So, spending few minutes every day on personal care, be it trimming of nails, oiling the hair or moisturizing the skin or applying SPF on the face before we go out, goes a long way and not to miss out regular dental health checkups will do better for a confident smile. The more we smile, more we are releasing the good hormones within ourselves!

Hobbies: This is something which is my favorite. I remember the quote by Risha Trivedi “make time to follow your passion and never let your hobbies and interests take a backseat“. Whenever we are overwhelmed with life’s challenges, hobbies act as shock absorbers, and great distractors from the worries and troubles that play in day-to-day life. It can be simple hobbies like listening to our favorite songs or reading a good book for a minimum of 10 minutes or having a "me time" every day for half an hour for your own self. Just have a reaffirming talk to yourself or just introspect yourself as to how better you can be the next day or how good you want to take care of your health for yourself. So, spend some time jotting down or journalling. Journalling is a very good habit which helps us release our tensions and gives us a clarity of thought. We are all blessed with a talent. Honing them will definitely make us worthy of more, than just following a boring routine every day, so definitely give more time for hobbies and see yourself bloom in a different way, which you never thought you would!

Now, we are coming to the 3S - the first S is soul. Our soul is very important. What nourishes our soul are the good thoughts, the gratitude, the thanksgiving, the reaffirmation, the pep talks and the happy quotes or something that we can be grateful for. Every day giving 5 minutes to improvise on our soul or revisiting our souls will take us through as a better person.

Next service. We may not elaborate because that’s what we are all doing from the onset of the day till we hit the bed, so we are service providers throughout. There’s nothing more to elaborate, except that everything needs boundaries, including kindness!

Best accessory we can wear is the smile on our face. Always never miss an opportunity to share a smile. Smile has that power to spread joy, to spread positivity and to receive it back to ourselves. Keep smiling caregivers and please take care because we all deserve as we all owe ourselves the love and care that we so freely give to others without thinking twice.

Last comes the most important: SLEEP and my request to all of you never compromise on this one!! Eight hours of relaxed good quality sleep is our right and its our way to rejuvenate both body and mind following a stressful days work and to recharge for the next day. Following any night routine can be customized based on individual preferences. Eg: having a warm cup of milk or listening to slow music or night skin preps etc.

So, here’s a big shout out again to all the selfless caregivers. Please take some time out daily to improvise on your own self and that’s the best gift, you can give to your immediate family members (to your spouse, your kids, your parents or your in-laws). They will definitely thank you for this! Start now. Be more beautiful, bloom endlessly, and KEEP SELF CARING.