Self-care is something that parents often neglect, especially when they have very young children. After 9 years of being a mother, I have learnt that self-care is a massive pillar of being a happy, healthy, thriving human. We can’t fully love others if we don’t love ourselves. My road to self-care has had its ups and downs, but I’ve finally found ways to authentically take care of myself so I can show up to life feeling like my cup is full. I hope this inspires you to look at your life and find ways to fill your cup.
Slow down to find A Self-Care Routine That Is Authentic To Your Needs
Life can be so busy, so busy that we don’t even know how we feel in our day-to-day lives. We rush from thing to thing and feel burnt out at the end of the day. Our culture teaches us that this is good and that being productive is the way to success. When I look around I see a lot of people that aren’t present and are stressed out. We don’t have to accept this as normal. We can still get everything we need done without being a part of the busy culture in the world. We can take more time to do things with love and intention. We can listen to our body and what it needs. To me, this makes a more productive, happy, healthy, balanced life. We can change our day-to-day and take care of ourselves and each other.
How To Find Your Self-Care Routine
What works for me, may not work for you. I encourage you to sit down, unplug and figure out ways to take care of your mind, body, spirit, and social connections. All four are important for self-care and a balanced soul. Here are some ways I recommend finding what works for you.
- Sit down and brainstorm your perfect day. If you had no obligations or money restrictions what would you do? Next, pull out ways to do those things that work with your daily responsibilities and circumstances. Think about nourishing your four dimensions while making your list: Mind, Body, Spirit, Social Connections.
- Unplug and listen to your intuition. Put your phone and other distractions away, sit with yourself and ask what do I need to feel good. You could sit and meditate on it. You will be surprised at what messages you will receive.
- Try adding things to your routine and find what works. I recommend adding one new thing a week and seeing how you feel. Add in a workout, a new supplement, a walk, meet up with a friend, or try a new recipe. All those little things will add up. And when we shake things up, like doing things at different times of the day than we normally would it adds excitement to our lives. Change is hard, but ultimately it’s so good for us.
- Start your day with self-care. This is a non-negotiable. Develop a morning routine that you look forward to. I recommend getting up at least half an hour earlier than you normally would to take care of yourself. It truly is a game-changer!! I always said I could NEVER be that girl who got up early to exercise, but guess what that’s me. I’ve been doing it since last spring and I’ve never looked back
- Evaluate your day. Take some time at the end of the day to think about how your day went. How did you show up? What would you have changed? How could you do better tomorrow? Were you present and intentional? Could you add anything to take care of yourself more? Or remove anything that didn’t serve you? Self-reflection is an amazing tool and the more we do it, the better our lives will be. It makes us better parents, friends, spouses etc. We can think about who we are and who we want to be and then make changes that push us toward being the best version of ourselves.
my Favourite Ways To Bring Self-Care Into My Day To Day Life
- Nourish my body: Exercise daily, eat mindfully, take high-quality supplements, incorporate herbs and adaptogens in my daily routine, go for walks in nature, heal my trauma, use clean beauty and skincare, stretch
- Nourish my mind: Meditate, learn new things, read books, listen to inspiring podcasts, step outside my comfort zone, work towards goals, keep an open mind, work on reprograming my limiting beliefs about myself and the world, journal
- Nourish my spirit: Meditate, read, pray, connect to my intuition, breathwork, burn sage/palo santo, yoga, listen to music
- Nourish my social connections: This one I need to work on BIG TIME. My social life has taken a backseat since I had kids and recently it’s almost non-existent as I working towards BIG goals and re-entering the working world. I still try to stay connected to my loved ones as much as I can. I try to plan one meet-up a week or month with my bestie who is also a stay-at-home mom. It grounds me and allows me to get things off my chest. Human connection is so important. We need to feel connected and loved. Also when we talk about things they release from the body. Holding things in causes emotional issues, stress, loneliness and disease.
Make Yourself A Priority
It’s never too late to change your life and find your path/purpose. Taking good care of yourself will make all aspects of your life flow with more ease and grace. Life is too short to not feel your best. You owe it to yourself to commit to self-care, self-love and growth. I hope this inspires you to love yourself more and add more self-care to your life.
"Its Never too late to get out of your own way" Chervin Jafarieh
xo Alayna
