How to Make Self Care a Priority During the Pandemic (Because We Know That Sounds Impossible)

SheKnows is proud to partner with BAND-AID® Brand to celebrate 100 Years of Care. To mark the occasion of its 100^th anniversary, BAND-AID® Brand is making a $100,000 donation to global humanitarian leader CARE to support frontline heroes and deliver other lifesaving aid around the world. Visit CarePackage.org/band-aidbrand to send a CARE Package® of support to those who need it most.

Our first-ever SK Conversations: Back to Care virtual event, sponsored by BAND-AID® Brand, highlighted important discussions on the topics facing parents right now. From how to take care of our own mental health (yes, we’re talking self care; that means more than bubble baths) to what the future of COVID-19 could hold (including an important update on the state of vaccine development. We caught up with Yaya DaCosta, an actor and doula, and Candice King, actress and co-host of the Directionally Challenged podcast, about how they are coping as working parents amidst the global pandemic. Watch a replay of the event above and keep reading for some of our favorite takeaways.

Fireside Chat with Yaya DaCosta

“If we go on our phones, it says how much time we spend on the app. It could really be a time sucker. So I put a time limit on social media. It’s given me more time for things that do matter. And that’s great for our kids; they get to see our eyes!” – Yaya DaCosta, actor and doula

Self Care + Parenting

“How can we convince ourselves that self-care isn’t just manicures and bubble baths?” — Brandi Riley, influencer and activist

“[Self care] looks different to everyone…We have to listen to what our body really needs. And sometimes that might be locking myself in my room and sleeping all day Saturday. Sometimes that’s what I need. And it’s okay. Doesn’t mean that I’m not being productive. It’s Okay. That’s what my body needs at that moment.” — Ana Flores, founder & CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina

“I’ve learned the hard way that self care is mandatory and I have to prioritize it or the wheels come off the bus completely…RPM are the letters someone gave me: rise, pee and meditate. That’s how I [wake up] everyday and make [self care] a priority.” — Diane Dillon, psychologist and author

“I love the visualization of the oxygen masks when they drop down on the airline. That’s such a great metaphor because you’re instructed to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you put it on your child because you have to be able to function. You need that oxygen in order to help your kids.” — Diane Dillon, psychologist and author

Navigating Covid-19: The Second Wave

“We can take so many cues from [our kids] on how to survive through the day. We’re like, ‘if they’re coping, I can rise to the occasion.'” — Amelia Edelman, Senior Parenting Editor at SheKnows

“If we can teach our kids to play, connect with others and make sure they have downtime, them and ourselves, and remember to breathe, we’ll all be in a much better place from a mental health point of view.” — Dr. Shimi Kang, child and youth psychiatrist, author of The Dolphin Way and The Self-Motivated Kid

“To be able to just snuggle up and read, you know, for my kids to be able to also see themselves in the book and said that we are reading has been a tremendous thing for us.” — Charnaie Gordon, Founder of Here Wee Read and 50 States 50 Books

“We, and the other companies, really have a commitment to develop vaccines that are both safe and efficacious. I’m rooting for our vaccine and I’m rooting for the vaccine of every other company. We need multiple vaccines…And I’m confident that when those vaccines are approved that they are going to be safe and effective. And I will be there getting it myself.” —  Edwin Kuffner M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.

Spotlight Talk: 100 Years of Care

“In 1968 and 1969, the BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages were part of the medical kit on the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 moon missions. So one of the essential products that was chosen for astronauts who were up in space and landing on the moon to care for themselves was BAND-AID® Brand’s adhesive bandages.” —Margaret Gurowitz, Chief Historian at Johnson & Johnson 

“The CARE package actually became known as an American icon, and the CARE organization became known as a global brand of American generosity.” —Monica Rowe, AVP Communications & Brand Marketing, CARE 

“I witnessed how even the addition of something as simple as one book actually changed and impacted all the children in that community…It was amazing to see the work CARE was doing in Zambia and how much the children were yearning to learn. All they needed was the tools and skills from CARE.” – Danielle Savre, actress and activist

Healthy at Home

“You know, when you do that every six months, change your batteries on your fire alarm, which everyone should do, go look in your first aid kit, things expire in there so go take a peek and dig it out.” — Cara Natterson, physician, author and founder of OOMLA

“A proper wound that is healing with proper covering should not scab at all. It should go from being a wound to  new skin that’s formed over the wound.” —Jenny Du-Soriano, Research & Development Manager at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.

“Your pediatrician is just part of your care team…kind of part of your brain trust, that is always reassuring to remember to have folks like [doctors and pediatricians] in their corner.” — Katie Speller, Health & Sex Editor at SheKnows

Keynote with Candice King

“You know, this pandemic just doesn’t only affect me in my household just because I’m pregnant. It affects our four year old. It affects our teenagers. It affects my husband. So taking into consideration how they’re all feeling as well has been a hard thing for me to juggle with these insane pregnancy hormones.” — Candice King, actress & co-host of the Directionally Challenged podcast

“The goals have been much smaller, whereas opposed to, like, ‘learn French’, it’s, you know, find something that I can really enjoy with my four year old. Or [instead of] become this baker of bread, it’s being okay with if I actually don’t want to cook tonight.” — Candice King, actress & co-host of the Directionally Challenged podcast

This event is created by SheKnows and presented by BAND-AID® Brand. BAND-AID® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.