Reclaim Your Superpower: The Art of Nurturing You
Undoubtedly, most people will list nurturing as one of the superpowers of women. Historically, regardless of the geographical location, culture, or time period, women have been tasked with the responsibility of nurturing children, significant others, families, our communities, and the world. Irrespective of the denial or confirmation of rights, we have ALWAYS contributed to civilization beyond the womb. It has been argued that the world has and continues to fail women. Ironically, the global failure of women is a reciprocal catastrophe. It would be reasonable to assume that if we improve our wellness, the wellness of society would also improve.
Our nurturing superpower is bittersweet, as we tend to nurture everything and everyone else while neglecting ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I have been told many times to take care of myself because I can’t care for anyone else if I’m no longer here to do so. Although we pride ourselves on nurturing so much life, we often feel the burden of this responsibility. This is evident as women were more distressed, concerned, sad, and angry in 2021 compared to any other time in the past decade, according to the Global Women’s Health Index. How do we lighten this burden?
Two ways:
Shift our mindset.
Receive nurture as well as give it (you can’t pour from an empty cup).
Shifting our mindset: If we view our superpower as responsibility instead of opportunity, we will eventually be burdened by it. If we are the providers of nurture, then we also have enough nurture to give ourselves. We should seek opportunities to gift nurture ourselves…and NOT feel guilty about receiving it.
Nurturing ourselves translates to multidimensional wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. All of these affect each other, and you cannot fully thrive in one without doing well in the others. And yes, ladies, we can have it all! For now, I will overview the physical & emotional dimensions. As a healthcare professional, I simply CANNOT separate the physical from the emotional because they undeniably influence the other. If you search for the leading causes of death (a physical end), suicide makes the list along with many health concerns. This supports the importance of mental health in addition to physical health.
Many of the health challenges common to ALL women are cancer, heart disease, mental health, reproductive or gynecological health, and aging. Many simple steps may be taken to improve all of these areas. Here’s how to be super to your superhero self!
Power Up: Proper nutrition, physical activity, and hydration goes a LOONNNGG way. It’s beyond the curse word diet and the dreaded attempts to lose weight to fit societal beauty standards. It is much more important than that. These help you feel your best, improve your mood, carry out your tasks more effectively, reduce pain, improve your physical and mental health, reduce risks for health issues and complications, and help optimize your health despite existing health problems.
Square Up (combat kryptonite): Resist toxic people, substances, and thoughts that weaken you. Sugar and alcohol should be used in moderation, avoid tobacco and drugs, limit screen time, limit negativity, and limit comparison.
Rest Up (and recover): There is no vehicle that can get you from one destination to another that doesn’t function properly if it is overheated, out of fuel, or out of a charge. Allow yourself sufficient rest. This includes passive and active rest; as well as physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, spiritual, and social rest. With rest, you are healing, repairing, rebuilding, improving circulation, eliminating waste, and preventing injury.
Partner Up (with your sidekicks): Stay current with health screenings, seek help (physical, mental, and spiritual) when needed to help you understand and master your emotions, keep things in balance, and help you positively use your superpower. Remember to nurture positive social relationships. The right social relationships help improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Investing in our nurturing superpower gives us the opportunity to empower ourselves physically and mentally. Nurturing ourselves optimizes our contribution to the world. The world needs us! We need each other! You need you!
Dr. Shavon Lamar, DNP, MBA, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner, Online Adjunct Professor, Advocate for Holistic Healthcare
