Pooja Lakshmin MD > Quotes

“real self-care is not only a more authentic and sustainable solution—it’s also self-determined. It involves the internal process of setting boundaries, learning to treat yourself with compassion, making choices that bring you closer to yourself, and living a life aligned with your values.”
― Pooja Lakshmin MD, Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness

“I started to question what was being taught—I didn’t get much guidance in medical school or residency on what to do when your patient can’t pay for health insurance or when she has lost childcare for the third time in two months and is being fired from her job. Instead, I was taught to prescribe medications or provide psychotherapy for issues that were clearly systemic. While there is certainly a great need for both of these medical interventions, the lack of attention to the inhumanity of our social policies left me feeling powerless—just like my patients.”
― Pooja Lakshmin MD, Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness

“our patriarchal society has saddled women with the mental load, leaving us burned out, disconnected, and primed to practice faux self-care as an individual solution to a societal problem.”
― Pooja Lakshmin MD, Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness

“Real self-care, as you’ll see, is not a one-stop shop like a fancy spa retreat or a journaling app; it’s an internal process that involves making difficult decisions that will pay off tenfold in the long run as a life built around the relationships and activities that matter most to you.”
― Pooja Lakshmin MD, Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness

“Set boundaries with others. 2. Change how you talk to yourself. 3. Bring in what matters most to you. 4. This is power—use it for good.”
― Pooja Lakshmin MD, Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness