Welcome to Zero Commitment Book Club! This is an opportunity for Worth It therapists to share with you what we’re currently reading together. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to read along. If not – NO commitment!
We’re currently reading: Real Self-Care, By Pooja Lakshmin, MD.
About the Author, Pooja Lakshmin MD
Pooja Lakshmin MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, New York Times contributor, and a leading voice at the intersection of mental health and gender, focused on helping women and people from marginalized communities escape the tyranny of self-care. In 2020, Lakshmin founded Gemma — a physician led women’s mental health education platform centering impact and equity. She maintains an active private practice, where she treats women struggling with burnout, perfectionism, and disillusionment, as well as clinical conditions like depression and anxiety. Having gone down the rabbit hole of extreme wellness herself, Real Self-Care is Lakshmin’s answer to the juice cleanses, the gratitude lists, and the bubble baths — not only to care for ourselves for real but, in turn, to transform our broken culture.
About the Book
In Real Self-Care, women’s mental health specialist and New York Times contributor Dr. Pooja Lakshmin challenges the conventional wisdom of the wellness industry with a groundbreaking approach to true self-care—one that has the potential to empower individuals and spark a broader societal shift.
The concept of self-care has become omnipresent, often manifesting in products and activities like juice cleanses, yoga workshops, or luxury bedding. While these options promise to solve women’s problems, Dr. Lakshmin, a board-certified psychiatrist, argues that this version of self-care is not only superficial but can also be manipulative. Rather than addressing the root causes of our struggles, these so-called solutions distract us by fostering comparison and chasing perfection, all while upholding the very systems that oppress women and minorities.
True self-care, according to Dr. Lakshmin, is an internal, introspective process that requires making tough decisions aligned with our core values. By engaging in genuine self-care, we can transform our relationships, workplaces, and the societal structures that often feel immovable.
In this book, Dr. Lakshmin guides readers through what real self-care looks like, drawing from case studies in her practice, clinical research, and her approachable, relatable style. She offers a step-by-step program for creating meaningful and lasting change. With practical strategies for common challenges, Real Self-Care serves as a comprehensive guide for women to set boundaries, overcome guilt, cultivate self-compassion, reconnect with themselves, and reclaim their power. The ultimate goal? To gain control over one’s life—a transformation that could ignite both personal and social revolution.
