Ina Raymundo: “Prioritize your mental and emotional health.”

Ina Raymundo believes moms must focus on themselves without feeling guilty: “You should take care of yourself, still prioritize yourself. Prioritize your mental and emotional health.”
PHOTO/S: Andrea Genota for Cosmo.ph

With Mother’s Day approaching, Ina Raymundo has a crucial reminder for all moms like herself: self-care is essential, even amidst the demands of motherhood.

This is the central message she wants to share in her feature as the cover girl of Cosmopolitan Philippines for April 2024.

“My goal is to inspire women, especially mommies,” she tells Cosmo.ph.

“Gusto ko talaga ma-realize nila that self-care and self-love is very important. After having kids, don’t let yourself go.”

Ina firmly believes that women must focus on themselves without feeling guilty.

And she wants them to remember they deserve to be healthy and happy.

She says, “You should take care of yourself, still prioritize yourself. Prioritize your mental and emotional health.

“That’s why in my profile, it says balance is key. That’s really the life you need to live.”

For Ina, finding the right balance is challenging, but not impossible.

She continues, “There’s a time to be a mother, [and] there’s a time to be an independent woman.

“There’s a time to be healthy, and there’s a time to enjoy the food that you eat.

“There’s a time to be sober, but there are times that you can have a few drinks and have fun.”

 

INA RAYMUNDO ON BEAUTY STANDARDS

While Ina encourages self-care, she also emphasizes that it should be done for personal well-being rather than conforming to beauty standards.

Ina notes that younger generations face significant pressure from societal beauty standards, particularly due to the amplified influence of social media.

This pressure often leads them to constantly being conscious abou their physical appearance.

She expounds, “Being a part of Gen X, I’m not really bothered. It’s really the youngsters that I’m worried about.

“Sana nga, I could advocate for that. To teach young girls not to compare themselves to others.

“Because that’s where depression will start, or you’ll feel so bad, you’ll have dysmorphia.”

Ultimatley, Ina encourages young girls to be kinder to themselves and to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being over societal standards of beauty.

“So, I really hope kids would slow down when it comes to the physicality of the world.

“They need to understand that there are way better things in life than to focus on what you look like, what you will wear, or what you will eat.

“Girls, you need to be easy on yourselves.”