5 Tips to Practicing Self-Care
Let’s face it- it’s easy to lose yourself and forget to take care of important things throughout the day. Many of you are working moms. Most of you clock out of work, drive home (or to the store to get ingredients for dinner), make dinner, help the kids with homework, bathe the kids, lay out clothes, tuck them into bed, clean up dinner, get ready for bed yourself, finally get yourself into bed and do the same thing the next day. When do you have time to take care of YOU?
Did you even remember to eat lunch today? Take a vitamin? Make your bed?
Here are 5 helpful tips to remember to practice self-care:
Remember to Breathe
When you are feeling anxious, your body can tense up. When you’re stressed, your body can tense up. Sometimes, you may forget to breathe. Being mindful of what your body feels in stressful environments will be helpful in learning how to cope with how your body deals with that stress.
Breathing is a necessary part of living. Basic anatomy- when you hold your breath, your brain doesn’t get the adequate amount of oxygen for the brain to work properly and since the brain controls the flow of all organs, it is, well, imperative you breathe.
Breathing deep is an amazing way to lower your stress. Practicing square breathing is a simple way to control your breath. Square breathing is breathing in, hold, out, hold, repeat for 4 seconds each. Do this until you feel your breath calming down. Your lungs, and brain, will thank you!
2. Remember to Count
If you find yourself in a stressful situation, stop. Pay attention to what’s around you. List 5 things from your 5 senses: taste, feel, smell, sound, touch. It really helps if you write them down as well. Your logical brain cannot work properly, or at all, if your emotional brain is taking over. Staying grounded is a powerful way to take control of your thoughts in order to think clearly. Practicing this while your not in a panicked state will help make grounding more instantinaus.
3. Remember that this isn’t going to last forever
It takes time to change your habits. Don’t be hard on yourself. You will have days where you feel more anxious than others. Learn to accept it and not have it control your life. You’ll have days where something comes up and you’ll feel unable to deal with what’s happening. That is fine. Ride the wave. Don’t allow your thoughts to affect your entire day. Let it go and move on. The harder you are on yourself the more your anxiety will take over.
4. Remember to Meditate
Practicing meditation is exactly that- you need to PRACTICE. Meditation does wonders for self-care. Keep in mind that you’re in control of your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. More than likely, you won’t be able to sit for hours on end and meditate straight away. You’ll need to take baby steps to increase your stamina. Meditation is similar to working out- you won’t be able to do a lot starting out, but you’ll increase your strength the more you work out.
5. Remember to Bathe
Self-care also includes taking care of your physical body. Getting up 5 minutes earlier each day to moisturize your body can make you feel better. Taking a relaxing bubble bath is another example of physical self-care. Ask your partner to give you a 10 minute massage to release muscle tension. We recommend using Abinoid Muscle Relief Salve during your massage; ginger, violet leaf, and phytocannabinoids relieve inflammation which can sometimes be due to stress.
Having a relaxed body can assist in relaxing the mind; having a relaxed mind will create a stable and controlled life. Again, this may take a bit of planning ahead of time, but once you get in the habit of incorporating healthy patterns in your day, the easier it will be to get used to having them in your everyday life.
Be good to yourself- you deserve it!
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Blog courtesy of This Crazy Mental Life, check her out here ✨