An interesting book came to my attention the other day.  The subject is taking care of yourself.  This was something that was difficult for me to learn when I was a young woman.  I was sort of forced into it in my late thirties due to overwork and stress.  I wish I have been able to put it into effect earlier, when my children were small.

If you are reading this, man or woman, it's probable that you are the chief cook and bottle washer at your house (or at least the head chef).  That, and what usually goes with it, is a demanding, stressful, never-ending job.  To do it lovingly, joyfully and well means caring for yourself too. 

How do you do this?   Writing about this new book titled "Self-Nurture", Editor Erica Jorgensen tells us:

'Alice Domar, Ph.D., is the director of Harvard Medical School's Mind/Body Center for Women's Health and is the author of "Self-Nurture: Learning to Care for Yourself as Effectively as You Care for Everyone Else."  She appeared in the news two weeks ago for her work with infertile women.  In a study, she counseled infertile women about stress-management techniques in group therapy, and after one year the group's pregnancy rate increased by 35 percent. 

In "Self-Nurture," Domar presents another yearlong program-- one that she developed for all women so that they can learn to take care of themselves while juggling work and family demands.   It's analogous to oxygen masks on an airplane-- if you, the adult, don't put your mask on first and help yourself, it will be impossible for you to help the loved ones on board with you, and you'll all suffer.  She writes, "'Self-Nurture' is a yearlong stress manager for women.  It offers specific guidance for handling the stresses that plague you, but the goal of every exercise and method is self-nurturance.  It is a practical book, mapping greater awareness and self-care from one season to the next.  I offer this book as a balm for today's over-extended, under-appreciated, self-esteem-challenged women.  While so many of us present smart, tough fronts to the world, we still suffer from grave insecurities and unfulfilled dreams. Psychiatrist Alexander Lowen once commented that we can only rise up if we allow ourselves to let down, and women who self-nurture will rise up with renewed strength and confidence. "

It should be noted that while Domar's book  was written specifically with women in mind, she's heard from dozens of men-- some of them at her book signings-- who've said   "Self-Nurture" was also invaluable to them as they seek to find balance in life.'

Read an article on stress management by the author, Alice Domar; it gives you an idea of what this book is about and what it (and you) can do to make you happier and more effective.   This is the kind of book that can make a real difference in one's life.