You have to take care of your own mental and physical health before you can truly devote yourself to your family and friends.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is engaging in activities and behaviours that have a positive effect on your mental and physical health which can be different for each person. However, the end goal is always the same: to reduce stress, preserve relationships, maintain a beneficial work/life balance, and nurture your mental and physical well-being.
Finding Time to Dedicate to Self-Care.
Women in particular are molded by society to be nurturers, mothers and caretakers. These roles are often put first before our own needs which will eventually take a toll on your emotional and physical well-being. As the ‘airplane oxygen mask’ analogy goes; you’re supposed to secure your own mask first before you assist others. The logic here is that if you can’t breathe, you can’t very well help anyone else. Practicing self-care is much the same.
Below I share 5 simple tips I have implemented to help with my own self-care so I can be a better mom, wife, employee, and overall a happier person. In the comments share your favorite self-care activities.
1. Disconnect
It’s no secret that the technology these days has made life easier. Your phone is used for everything – from going on social media to writing work emails, and it can even take the place of your wallet. However, it’s becoming more and more apparent that regardless of how convenient our phones are, it’s absolutely crucial to take the time every day to disconnect. While it may be hard at first, there are ways to make this easier! I like to literally hide my phone for a few hours – I’ve found that if it’s not within reach then I’m not nearly as tempted to use it. Specifically in the morning. I read that most people check their phones immediately upon waking, like before saying good morning to your spouse laying next to you. The article featured a picture of a husband and wife in bed both on their phones. I can’t let that image go so now I make a conscience effort to always say good morning to the hubby first before hopping on my phone.
You could also try planning ahead of time when you’ll unplug. By scheduling a dedicated time frame, you may be more likely to commit to disconnecting. This could be a fabulous time to engage in a new hobby, exercise, clean, meal prep, pretty much anything you always find you “don’t” have time for! You’d be amazed how much time opens up once you disconnect from your phone. Plus, you’ll feel so much better when you’re mindfully enjoying the present!
2. Fuel Yourself With Nourishing Foods
Believe it or not, what you fuel your body with actually affects how your body handles stress. When you feed yourself with nourishing, nutrient-dense foods, you’re setting yourself up for success. For example, I know that my oatmeal breakfast every morning is kick starting my metabolism for the day and giving me the energy I need to start my day. Likewise, instead of turning to caffeine or sugar throughout the day, consuming nutrient-dense snacks like this smoothie keeps my blood-sugar steady and prevents me from having an energy crash. When you eat a healthy diet of whole unprocessed foods, you’re setting yourself up to effectively cope with stress, and it’s the key to building resiliency.
3. Dedicate 10 Minutes A Day To Physical Exercise
Physical exercise is my happy drug. It an activity that makes me feel good about myself, reduces my stress levels and allows me to have more patience with my kids. Exercise has the power to completely change your life and is a huge component of self-care. It impacts your state of mind, your productivity, your mood, your body, your day, and the list goes on! The endorphins released will no doubt leave you feeling better than when you started, and you don’t need a long time to instantly feel the feel-good chemicals releasing! (this is all sound science). Some days I really only have 10 minutes to I fit in exercise but those 10 minutes make a world of difference and is an important aspect of my personal self-care. Do you have 10 minutes?? Give this Fitmomma workout a try.
4. Express Gratitude
Gratitude is a component of self-care that often gets looked over. However, it takes just a few simple steps to implement into your daily life and trust me, it is well worth it! Gratitude makes you happier and can help strengthen your relationship with yourself and others around you. It helps you appreciate more and can even improve your sleep and self-esteem. One easy way I like to practice gratitude is by saying 3 positive things at the end of each day. We actually started doing this with the kids too, after we put on jammies we go around and say one things we did during the day that made someone else smile and one someone else did for you that made you smile. This simple act can literally rewire your brain and help you more easily notice the positive things in your life that you may not have ever noticed before. It can even be a simple as writing down one thing you are grateful for each day and putting it in a jar. Then at the end of the month you can review your month and while you might have thought it was a tough month reading your daily gratitude papers will put it in perspective that maybe it wasn’t such a bad month. It helps you remember everything that you do have, rather than focusing on what you don’t!
5. Treat Yourself
It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives, and sometimes we forget that taking care of ourselves needs to be a priority and not a luxury. Regularly carving out some me time for fun and relaxation will help you respond to life’s stressors. And honestly, it makes sense – when we feel our best physically and emotionally we are so much better at handling stress. Something simple like treating yourself to a monthly subscription box can do wonders. There are many monthly subscription boxes out there to choose from and a variety of price points. I personally love the YogaClub Box because not only is it fun to get new workout gear it also motivates me to workout which contributes further to my self-care. You can use coupon code FITMOMMA20 off your first box if you want to give it a try. Nonetheless don’t be afraid to gift yourself, and enjoy it!! You deserve it!
this post was sponsored by YogaClub.
