Self care is something we all need. Some need it more than others but we should all take some time to take care of only yourself. I don’t know about you but I lead a crazy hectic life. With an almost two year old who I swear never stops running, I have my hands full. I swear she runs everywhere and is so curious! I also work full time so when I get off, my second job as a mom kicks in. When she is finally in bed I look around and I see the aftermath of the days activities. Let me just tell you, it is not pretty. So I fight the urge to sleep and I clean up. Once I finish I get ready for bed and then pass out.
This endless cycle of working hard and forgetting about myself is harmful. When we do not take care of ourselves we end up exhausted, irritable, and it is difficult for us to be truly content.
Sound familiar? If you are a mom, whether you work or not, you should practice self care. If you find yourself never doing one thing for yourself everyday, you need to practice self care. This does not mean that you are selfish, it does not mean that you still can’t help others. All it means is that in order to be 100% present everyday, you need to take care of yourself. Self care promotes a healthy overall wellness as it effects the mind, body, and spirit.
I have compiled a list of ways you can practice self care. Some are simple and can be done in minutes and others require a couple hours or more.
- Journal
- Read a book
- Do a face mask
- Go for a walk
- Watch your favorite show
- Talk to a friend
- Take a bath
- Diffuse your favorite scents
- Dance
- Workout
- Go hiking
- Recite positive affirmations
- Set a goal
- Make a healthy change
- Start a gratitude list
- Eat your favorite dessert
- Do a digital detox for 2 hours or more
- Sit outside and enjoy the silence
- Do a well being check
- Do something you have always wanted
I could go on and on, there are so many ways to practice self care. There is not a right or wrong way either! Do whatever makes you feel relaxed and at peace.
So why this list? Why does this help me take time for myself? Taking care of your self can be physical, mental, or emotional. Lately, my favorite self care method is journaling. I actually mean taking paper and a pen and writing down how I am feeling or what happened that day. Writing is something we all have moved away from but it truly does help clear your head.
My second go to is diffusing my favorite scents. With fall just around the corner and it still being 80 outside, I need as much fall as I can. So my house currently smells like a fall bomb went off. If you need your house to smell this way click here
When I need a mood boost I tend to diffuse stress away with lavender, or a mix of lemon and peppermint. These make the room smell bright and cheery. I feel energized and ready to take on the day when these scents are diffusing. To check out my list of diffuser recipes by subscribing below!
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed my post, if you did leave me a quick comment on your thoughts! Don’t forget to share or like!
I take my hat off to you Courtney! You sound like you have a very busy schedule yet, you find time to take good care of yourself.
thanks for reminding me to make myself a priority despite the crazy schedules. Trying out numbers 3,8,12,15 right away!
It has taken a long time to get to this place! I still struggle some days! I have reminded myself that I am not selfish for taking ten minutes because I need those minutes.
As women we tend to neglect ourselves a lot while trying to make sure everything and everyone else is in order.
This is so true! We put ourselves behind everyone and anything that needs to be done!
Journaling has been huge for me. Although I write all the time, it’s usually for someone else’s eyes, so writing something only I will see has been an entirely new experience. I resisted journaling for a long time because I didn’t think it served a purpose, but it DOES serve a purpose and has made me aware of thought patterns and limiting beliefs that I didn’t even realize I was harboring.
It is so vital! Especially going back through and reading it. It really awakens you to your unhealthy habits.
I am going to put this on my board about mental health. I am a travel blogger who uses travel as my self care. I also have a gratitude journal. I’m hoping to get the intestinal fortitude to add healthy eating but the food calls to me…
Food calls to me as well!!! It just tastes so good!
I love this! Self care is so important, but people often run on fumes until a burn out happens. I enjoy hot baths with epsom salts and/or oils. Also, hiking trails are big for me!I love your list 🙂
Thank you!! I have burnt myself out several times! Lesson learned!
Your article relates a lot with what I write about so it was great to read!
Awesome list. I love to enjoy silence 😀
Love this list! It has a few things I haven’t thought to do before. Definitely will try!
Fantastic piece of advice! It took me far too long to learn that self-care is ok and it isn’t selfish and it is one I practice daily as well as encourage all mums to do especially new ones. Thank you for sharing and being brave to push the topic out there for others to know its ok to put themselves first sometimes.