WATCH: Michelle Obama through the years
michelle obama it’s about once again staying realistic when it comes to taking care of yourself as a woman in today’s world.
During a candid question-and-answer session at the 25th anniversary of the Essence Festival in New Orleans On Saturday, the former first lady spoke about how difficult it was for women, including herself, to put yourself first.
“Many of us struggle to place ourselves on our own priority list, much less at the top of the list,” she said. “And that’s what happens when it comes to our health as women. We’re so busy giving and doing for others that we almost feel guilty taking that time for ourselves.”
(MORE: Make This Your Self-Care Summer
“We’re trained this way and we have to have a different set of conversations to untrain ourselves. It’s not going to happen overnight,” Obama continued. “But if we don’t start talking about it as women, because, let’s forget what others say, we always control what happens in the home, so if we don’t act together as women, mothers , grandmothers, we will still not be able to put our children on the right path.”
During the conversation, Obama recounted how she “found herself angry” at her husband, former President Barack Obama, for finding time to go to the gym when their daughters, Malia and Sasha, were young . She also discussed how society’s treatment of women forces them to focus even more on self-care.
“We need to start having conversations, number one, about why it’s so hard for us as women to put ourselves first,” she said. “I mean, we live in a world where, as women, we’re so devalued, we’ve trained ourselves to think that we don’t deserve it, that we don’t even deserve to take care of ourselves. ”
“And we have to search our minds and our histories and our backgrounds to find out where this hurt comes from,” Obama added. “We need to understand what has happened within us and in our own communities, what is the conversation we are having with ourselves, with our own daughters.”
“GMA” and Girls’ Night In are continue the conversation about self-care on Instagram @Hello America And @girlsnightinclub. Share your self-care tips and questions with the Hashtag #SelfCareChallenge.
Obama then posted about the topic on Instagram, asking his followers to share how they take time for themselves and to take care of themselves.
“A few years ago, my New Year’s resolution was, ‘If it’s not a yes, it’s a no.’ Giving myself permission to say no just because it was huge,” one commenter wrote.
“I walk the beach alone on Sunday mornings. It’s peaceful and healthy. My husband stays home with our daughter. Some mornings I’m gone for 3 hours,” wrote another.
“2 years ago, I started a trend for myself. Every January, I plan for the whole year, one weekend a month for myself. For my family, my friends, my associates, etc., looks like I’m not available. It’s worked so far,” another commenter wrote.
The former first lady also spoke to the Essence Festival about the pressure she felt as the first African-American first lady of the United States.
In a Instagram Q&A in FebruaryObama revealed the two self-care tools she used to keep her cool under this pressure.
“I always try to remember that I will be my best self if I put myself first,” she said. “For me, exercising, sleeping and taking time to recharge is not an option, especially when I’m reacting to pressure.”
“GMA” and Girls’ Night In are continue the conversation about self-care on Instagram @Hello America And @girlsnightinclub. Share your self-care tips and questions with the Hashtag #SelfCareChallenge.
