Struggle Care

32: Book Chat: Real Self Care with Dr Pooja Lakshmin


Listen Later

If you follow me at all, you know that I really don’t like the word self-care. But today, I’m giving you an entire episode about Real Self Care!

My guest today is Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, a perinatal psychiatrist, writer, and CEO of Gemma, a women's mental health community, has a fresh perspective on self-care. In her debut nonfiction book, Real Self Care, Dr. Lakshmin challenges the conventional concept of self-care, which is largely full of empty calories and devoid of substance. She argues that the game is rigged, and faux self-care only keeps us looking outward, comparing ourselves with others or striving for a certain type of perfection, which means it's incapable of truly nourishing us in the long run. Her insights on self-care are particularly relevant in the current times, when many people feel overwhelmed, overburdened, and burnt out.


Show Highlights:

  • The difference between a “system” and “philosophy”.
  • There is no one right answer, there are hundreds of answers.
  • Hope as a skill, not a new concept.
  • A boundary is the process you went through where you decided that you were worthy of standing up for what you want.
  • You know how to practice real self-care when you suffer from a mental health condition.
  • There is no one answer for recovery from religious trauma.

  • Links and Resources:

    Connect with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin: Instagram, Twitter

    Real Self Care, Dr. Pooja Lakshmin

    Connect with KC: TikTok, Instagram, and Website 

    Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning


    ​​We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Struggle CareBy KC Davis

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    734 ratings


    More shows like Struggle Care

    View all
    ADHD Experts Podcast by ADDitude

    ADHD Experts Podcast

    1,299 Listeners

    A Slob Comes Clean by Dana K. White: A Slob Comes Clean

    A Slob Comes Clean

    2,455 Listeners

    Edit Your Life | Simplify + Declutter Your Home, Time, and Mental Space by Christine Koh

    Edit Your Life | Simplify + Declutter Your Home, Time, and Mental Space

    512 Listeners

    Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast by Clutterbug

    Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast

    2,007 Listeners

    Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children by Debbie Reber

    Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

    962 Listeners

    What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson

    What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

    994 Listeners

    ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka by Tracy Otsuka

    ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

    1,500 Listeners

    I Have ADHD Podcast by Kristen Carder

    I Have ADHD Podcast

    2,842 Listeners

    Feminist Survival Project by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

    Feminist Survival Project

    361 Listeners

    Maintenance Phase by Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

    Maintenance Phase

    16,343 Listeners

    Good Inside with Dr. Becky by Dr. Becky Kennedy

    Good Inside with Dr. Becky

    4,435 Listeners

    We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle and Audacy

    We Can Do Hard Things

    41,397 Listeners

    Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith by Virginia Sole-Smith

    Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith

    419 Listeners

    Sorry, I Missed This: The Everything Guide to ADHD and Relationships with Cate Osborn by Cate Osborn, Understood.org

    Sorry, I Missed This: The Everything Guide to ADHD and Relationships with Cate Osborn

    36 Listeners