Self-Care Series Part 3
If there’s anything I hope you take away from this series, it’s that once again, self-care is not selfish. In fact, I would venture to say that it’s critical that self-care is included in your daily life. It is critical for you to function as the best partner you can be. As the best mom you can be. As the best YOU you can be. You owe that to yourself.
We’ve covered a lot of ground in the previous posts. If you want ideas on how to get started with crafting your own, individualized self-care plan, be sure to read this post, the first in the series.
If you need some meaningful ideas on how to up your self-care game, check out the second post in this series.
This final post on self-care will cover 3 additional ideas:
- Teaching your children about self-care
- Trying something new
- Allowing yourself to be joyful
Teaching Your Kids about Self-Care
I am constantly amazed at the ideas and concepts my kids pick up just from watching me and my husband. The phrase is really true:
“More is caught than taught.”
Our kids are proverbial sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear. Kinda scary to think about, right?
But instead of focusing on everything negative they might pick up, what about the positive aspects?
For instance, don’t you think it’s important for your kids to see you taking great care of yourself? Isn’t it important for them to see you happy, healthy, and living your best life? Sure it is!
As you take this self-care journey, be sure to let your kids come along for the ride. Talk to them about the activities you’re engaging in that make you your best self.
Here are some possible scripts you can use:
- “Mommy is going to exercise for the next 30 minutes because it makes me feel happy. What kind of exercise makes you the happiest?”
- “Mommy is going to work on a new painting in a few minutes. I can’t wait to show you what it looks like when I’m finished!”
- “Hey, Mommy is going to take some time to get a bubble bath. But after that, I’d love to play with you for a little bit. See you soon.”
Our kids need to see us engaging in regular self-care. Pretty soon, they will be used to it when you need to step away for a minute and take care of you.
Action Plan:
Decide this week that you’re going to practice at least one self-care activity around your kids. If they ask about it, explain it to them using one of the scripts above, or create your own. Remember, the more you practice self-care around them, the more they get used to it as a natural and healthy part of your life!
Try Something New!
We are such creatures of habit, especially us Moms. We depend on our routines to get us through the long and hard days of caring for our families, working to bring home a paycheck, working to keep the house in livable shape, and assuring that all is running well in our world.
This makes the prospect of trying something new a little daunting at times, right? As in, we barely have time to fit all the normal activities in our day, much less try to add something else to the schedule. This is precisely why I think it’s important to try something new.
Sometimes, you’ve got to take a break from the norm so you can gain perspective, invigorate yourself, and emerge as a stronger version of yourself.
Trying something new is a great way to practice self-care. You’re taking time to experience something that you may or may not like, but in any case, it will teach you something about yourself.
A month ago, my family and I headed to Florida to visit our family there. (We used to live there ourselves 3 years ago.) My sister-in-law told me about these Pilates classes she’d been taking and asked me if I’d be interested in taking a trial class. I was nervous about it because though I love Pilates, I’ve only ever practiced it on a mat at home.
Still, I decided to give the intro class a shot. I felt awkward and out of practice (and crazy-sore the next day), but I discovered I LOVED it.
My SIL bought me a “vacation pass” of full Pilates classes and I went faithfully over the next two weeks. I learned that I was so much stronger than I originally knew, and I gained some new techniques to bring back to my own mat work at home.
I could have just said “no” to the new and scary thing, but I decided to take a chance and I am a better person because of it!
Even if it’s something very small, what is something “new” that you can try out this week? The goal is not to try it and fall in love with whatever that is. The goal is to bust out of your rut and learn more about yourself in the process.
Action Plan:
Create a list of new things you’d like to try. They can be as big or small as you want them to be; your list will probably be a combination. Choose one item off the list that you can try within the next week.
A word of caution: we still DO need our routines, so don’t completely overhaul your life without telling those close to you what you’re doing. I’m talking more about baby steps here that allow you to try new things at a reasonable pace. That’s why I recommend trying one new thing at a time. Give it a couple of weeks before you add another new thing.
But, hey, it’s your life; if you’re in need of a major overhaul, maybe you can handle a bunch of changes at once. You do you.
Permission Slip to Joy
Life is hard. Raising children is tough. And yet, there is so much beauty in our lives if we take the time to stop and see it.
This whole series has been focused on showing you some easy and hopefully practical ways of engaging in self-care. But what is it all for, all of this time invested in you?
At the end of the day, self-care is about experiencing a little more contentment, a little more happiness in your crazy life. When you take better care of you, you’re able to better care for those around you.
I hesitate to use the word happiness because it seems like a concept that is so fleeting to me. Maybe joy is a better word to use instead. Because we can find joy tucked away in little pockets every day- even the mundane days. And every once in a while, joy will burst forth so forcefully that we can’t contain it. That kind of joy is infectious in a wonderful way- it rubs off on everyone around us.
Action Plan:
Will you do something for yourself today? Will you give yourself permission to find that joy? Seek it out endlessly, and when it comes, relish the moment. Breathe it in. And when it passes, resolve to seek out joy again and again, until you’re filled to the brim.
This is your one life. You not only owe it to yourself to care for you in many different ways, but you deserve to live joyfully too. No matter what else is going on in the world around you.
Give yourself permission to find the joy in your life.
Conclusion
Whew! What a journey! I hope you’ve had the opportunity to check out the entire series, but if not, here are the links to the first two posts in the self-care series:
Both of those are definite must-reads, but I get that you’re a busy mom trying to carve out 5 minutes for yourself so you can actually fit in that precious self-care time, right?
That is why I’ve created this adorable printable to remind you of all nine steps I outlined over the Super Self-Care Series. The best part, it is completely FREE. Consider it my gift to you to help you take the very best care of yourself! Download your copy today.
What’s on your self-care list? I’d love for you to share in the comments below! I hope you’ve enjoyed this series!
