Since October 7, stress levels in Israel and for Jews around the world have been understandably high. That’s why it’s all the more important to focus on self care, says Dr. Donna Zfat-Zwas, MD, MPH, director of the Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
“One of the important things that we’ve learned during this time is many of us have felt guilty about taking care of ourselves. How can I go and do something nice for myself when they're fighting a battle?” Dr. Zfat-Zwas said. “What we’ve learned is we have to do these things. We have to be kind to ourselves so that we can keep on going and give the support, be there for our children, for our significant others, for our parents and for the greater community.”
To this end, the Pollin Center has made it one of its core missions to care for the caretakers, “for what we call the ‘sheroes,’” Dr. Zfat-Zwas said.
That includes women who are taking care of their kids by themselves while their spouses are fighting in Gaza, grandmothers who are taking care of their grandchildren so that their daughters can work while their husbands are fighting in Gaza and caretakers at all levels.
“All these people also need to be caring for themselves,” she said. “It’s overwhelming, but at the same time that we’re running around, we need to do the things for our own self to maintain our health, from eating right to exercising to finding out the ways that we can reduce our stress.”
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