taking care of YOU
alone time. it’s a novel concept as a mom to a toddler these days but it’s something i have really worked hard to find & if i am honest some days i still have to work hard to find. i dreamed for so long of becoming a mom. we struggled for almost 7 years before conceiving my daughter. it felt selfish to me to want something for so long then turn around & say i needed time apart. it wasn’t until toddlerhood hit that it quite literally hit me. i wasn’t taking care of myself at all.
i would feel “touched out” cranky, irritable & not my best self. i didn’t want to be around me, how could anyone else? i had to eventually recognize that it wasn’t selfish to give myself some attention. we all need to disconnect, do some self care & love on ourselves. as moms we tend to give, give, give but you know that saying you can’t pour from an empty cup? it’s true, friend. we can’t be our best self to give to others if we aren’t taking care of ourselves.
three things i have started doing to take better care of ME:
viewing my health in a more holistic way — not simply attending my annual physical, getting annual bloodwork & calling it good. not blindly taking supplements based on what’s new or what everyone else is doing & digging into my own health. i sent off a hair tissue mineral analysis a couple of weeks ago, i have been eating more intuitively with the phases of my cycle in mind & i am being more mindful about movement / less focused on goals that lead to overwhelm.
drink the dang water — this may seem like a normal thing to do but have you ever actually paid attention to how much water you’re drinking? so i started doing that for a few days, realizing i was way lower than the intended amount to truly hydrate. i began starting my day with 20oz of water with fresh lemon or lime & redmonds salt. this kick starts my water for the day & helps me stay on track!
consider what you’re consuming — how are you spending your time? scrolling? mindless tv binging? consider consuming “better for you” content like podcast, digging into a good book, reading your bible or even meditating. i found pairing my “better for me” things like reading on my kindle or listening to a podcast with some type of movement allowed me to conquer more than one thing that made me feel better about myself. it also allowed me to build it more consistently into my routine.
you are capable of enjoying life, friend. whether you’re in a tough season, just feel rundown or are needing some inspiration for making some changes, there’s never a better time than now to start. you can do it!
