Licensed Therapist Talks Commitment To Advocate For Self-Care For Busy Women
It goes without saying that as women, we wear many hats. We show up as daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends, employees, business women, and the list goes on. In just one day, we likely switched from one role to another without blinking an eye or taking a five-minute break for deep breathing. As hard as we work, we must be committed to having an equal balance of self-care to maintain optimal health.
But is committing to self-care really possible even when life gets busy?
Andromeda Peters, a licensed psychotherapist and Miss United States 2018, is on a mission to promote the importance of self-care for everyone, especially for women with all the hats we wear. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month this past May, Peters went on a multi-city tour discussing the importance of mental health with powerhouse women who attribute self-care as a driving factor to their success while balancing personal life.
Andromeda Peters hosts a panel on self-care. (
Peters believes in the importance of creating safe spaces for women to share vulnerable experiences, heal, and receive free mental health resources. She started her mental health movement, “Your Mind Matters Global” back in 2017, in response to the Me Too movement. “I felt so proud of all of my fellow women who were speaking out about their experiences and trauma. Being a therapist, I also wondered what was next for us as women. Where were the healing resources for us and where were the safe spaces?” She continued, “I held my first ‘Women’s Self-Care’ panel, and due to the positive responses, I kept them going. Now the workshops are hosted in as many cities as possible, and I also host workshops virtually. These resources are free to all guests because I believe mental health support should be easily accessible.”
Reprograming Your Mind
The narrative around self-care is shifting as we see more companies embracing mental health days and offering free subscriptions to resources like the Calm app. However, there is still more to be done. Peters shares that in the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday living, we must guide our minds to believe self-care and mental health is important and needs to be treated as a priority.
“We have to train our minds by constantly reminding ourselves as to why self-care is important, whether it be for our health or allowing us to show up with charged batteries in life areas,” she said. “We can guide the mind with repetition, continuously reminding ourselves that self-care is important, that we are important, and worthy.”
Deciding What Self-Care Means To You
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. There’s a lot of interpretations for the term “self-care”. Despite what the world tells you, it’s empowering to know what it means to you and how to incorporate self-care into your own life.
“Self-care is unique to each individual. It’s about finding what works for you and tweaking it as you go because it’s a lifelong journey. I have my external and internal self-care. Both of these help me continue to create a good relationship with myself. My external self-care is the self-care we may hear the most about: a good face mask and face steam, doing movements I enjoy like Pilates.” Peters continued, “Then I have my internal self-care. For me that’s being aware of my self-talk all day long as best as I can, and I do this through inner child work-remembering that my inner child is always listening to everything I say to myself.”
Embracing Guilt-Free Rest
During the Mother’s Day season, an anti-mother’s day trend sparked a much needed conversation around taking breaks and resting. The trend consisted of mothers asking for a vacation day away from children to rest and indulge in self-care. This trend called for a greater conversation around embracing rest and not feeling guilty about it.
“If it takes a healthy trend for it to be okay for women to rest, then I get it. It’s not wrong to ask for a break and to take time for yourself. When we do that, we show up better for ourselves and others.”, expressed Peters.
Replacing Feelings Of Inadequacy with Self-Love
During Peters’ most recent Women’s Self-Care Panel in Washington D.C., she noticed a theme amongst the women: The feelings of not “doing enough” and not “being enough”.
She shared further, “So many of our guests spoke about their experiences of being a woman and being told who to be and how to show up. Many of them are on this path of self-love, letting go of people pleasing, and perfectionism.”
Our thoughts are powerful and can shape not only how we see ourselves, but also how other people see us. When feelings of inadequacy arise, take a moment to explore the root cause of this feeling. Doing so can increase your self-awareness. Then combat those thoughts with self-loving affirmations. Peters also recommends following social media pages that promote emotional wellness and share positive reminders. You can start with @yourmindmattersglobal on Instagram.
Taking Advantage of Free Self-Care Resources
Peters encourages women to get radical about their self-care and to take advantage of all the resources available. Here’s some she recommends to start with:
- Watch Therapy in a Nutshell on YouTube.
- Try aromatherapy.
- Do 3-4-7 breathwork exercises.
- Begin journaling.
In addition to these various tools, Peters is a big believer in therapy. “We are not here as therapists only if you have an emergency or major life dilemma,” she shared. “We’re here to help you navigate day-to-day life as well and serve as your healthy accountability buddies to support you in your self-care and emotional well-being overall.
