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Let’s face it, being a mom is hard. Whether you work, go to school, stay home, homeschool, or anything else… it’s hard! The day to day routines get old and those dishes and laundry never seem to end. It gets old quick and yet there is no calling in sick just to catch a break. Sure, we love our little, beautiful, chaos-making monsters but that doesn’t mean that we can’t hope and dream for a break. And heaven forbid you try to take a day a little easier- have you seen the resulting disaster?! I quiver just thinking about it. And by the end of the night, I am sitting here realizing that tomorrow I will do it ALL OVER AGAIN. *sigh*
Being a mom is tough business!
So every day I wake, chug my cup of coffee, and go about the daily tasks of motherhood, wifehood, and everything else in between that I have jumped into. I get through hours of lessons with my children, attempt to keep 3 hot meals on the table while not destroying my kitchen, complete my college courses, labs, and some work. Somewhere in there I attempt to remember to eat, drink water to keep my energy going, and while I am at it I tell myself to breathe every now and again.
Sound familiar?
We moms have it rough! Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything different. But every year gets a little crazier, or maybe my age is just catching up to me (I assure you, I am not that old). Who knows really- just the stresses of life I guess. The one thing that I do know for sure is that being a mom, teacher, caregiver, chef, maid, college student, part-time employee, and everything else catches up to me. Sometimes, and I am ashamed to say, I crash. On days that my husband is home, I have been known to have a crash nap for hours! Fatigue at its WORST.
The guilt in this occurrence is bad enough. I finally stopped and realized that it wasn’t me working myself too thin, it was a direct result of me not caring for myself. I was getting so caught up in everything else, in life, in mothering, in adulting all so much that I put aside every aspect of my health and well-being and it was finally catching up to me. My body was screaming STOP loud and clear, it just took me a while to hear it.
So I made some changes.
It wasn’t easy, and it took some time for me to work on my personal negligence and find a routine that fit. I decided to tackle one thing a week. Easy right! Each week I made a goal of what I was going to better for myself and I worked hard to reach it. After just a few weeks, I could already tell a major difference in my mood, my physical health, and my overall well-being. So I thought I would share some of what I think are wonderful health boosts that every mom needs to add to her routine!
Detox Baths
These have become my absolute favorite! They are so beneficial for the body. And who doesn’t enjoy a relaxing bath anyways? But the detoxing properties of the Epsom salt and baking soda combined with the moisturizing properties of coconut oil are amazing. Mix that with a few drops of your favorite essential oils and you have a bath of pure heavenly relaxation and healthy benefits. Your body will thank you if you add this to your weekly routine.
*Add 5 drops of essential oils to 1 TBPS of coconut oil before adding to a bath to avoid skin irritation.
I mix 1 cup of Epsom salt, 1 cup of Baking Soda, 1 TBSP of Coconut oil with 3-5 drops of each essential oil I want to use in it. I soak in the bath for 20-30 minutes once a week. It was a bit difficult at first to get the kids to give me some time alone, but thanks to their wonderful ps4, they get some electronic time and I get some peace and relaxation. Sometimes, if my mornings are extra sluggish I will draw a bath and use some lemon and ginger EOs and take a quick
Sometimes, if my mornings are extra sluggish I will draw a bath and use some lemon and ginger EOs and take a quick 15-minute soak as well. You can also read how I used detox baths to heal the flu in little-to-no time here.
Daily Devotional Time
There is nothing better you can do for your health than to boost your spiritual health. For me, it is something that would get pushed aside when life got a little crazy. However, I felt myself drifting away from everything emotionally the more that I push aside my time to serve Him. My daily devotional time was something that I quickly made a priority, because as Philippians 4:13 states:
“For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power”
By strengthening your spiritual self, there is a layer of peace and tranquility that accompanies you on your daily endeavors. I have found that when I spend even just 15 minutes each morning reading the bible or another publication with His teachings, I am able to get through my day more level-headed and in a more positive mood. Not only does this benefit me and my relationship with God, but it benefits my family and encourages them to build their personal relationship with Him and their spiritual self as well.
~ Some of my favorite Bible readings can be found here. There are so many rich-study options for families, children, teens, couples, and more.
Take Time To Stretch- Outside
Stretching each morning is great for your body. It loosens you up- wakes you up. And what better place to do it than to be outside where you can breathe in the fresh air. If you have a view, even better- but of course that isn’t necessary. I usually spend at least 5 minutes each morning while I wait for my coffee to brew out on our back porch doing a few basic stretches while taking deep breaths. It really helps wake me up, find peace, and loosen my body up (I might be getting old with as stiff as I am sometimes).
Hydration
Sounds simple right? Not always for the busy mom. Let me paint you a picture: You wake up and make a large cup of coffee to get you started with the day. That cup of coffee lasts you all through the morning and into the afternoon since you are so busy bouncing between kids and their lessons. Lunchtime hits and you pour a cup of water, take a few drinks, and set it aside as you get some housework done. Then you remember you have to run to the store for a few forgotten items needed for dinner. By the time you get back, you finish any lasting chores or lesson help that is needed and begin prepping dinner, taking a sip of water because you saw your cup. With dinner, you enjoy a glass of water and then immediately jump into the last chores of the night before sitting down to work with a glass of wine to unwind. So there were not even 2 cups of water consumed. After a week of this, you become fatigued and have to add in a nap here and there, which leaves you groggy for a bit before jumping into dinner prep.
Dehydration sucks!
Drinking water sounds easy but until it is made a priority, it can be difficult for some. Hydration offers many negative side effects on the body and so it is important that we, as moms, make sure to drink approximately half of our body weight in water each day. Start slow, add 1 cup a day, or set an alarm every hour as a reminder to drink water. Soon it will become a habit and your body will begin to feel rejuvenated and energized. Your skin will also thank you!
~If you need to add a little flavor to your water to help you out, a fruit infusing water bottle can be found on Amazon easily and allows for a nice “pop” of flavor.
Listen To Your Body
Your body will tell you a lot. As we know, it tells us when we are hungry or tired. However it will also tell us when we need water, we may become fatigued all of a sudden. It may tell us when we are stressed and need a break. It may also tell us when something isn’t working right. Listening to our instincts and bodily signals are one of the best things that we can learn to do because we can begin to self-heal (obviously not in the case of extreme health conditions). When we listen to our body during new things, we can tell what is working and what is not. This will allow us to adjust as necessary and push further when we can.
The human body is such a uniquely complex mechanism
We just have to learn how exactly it works and recognize its signals.
Above All- Balance
Most importantly, every mom needs to implement balance in her life. This can be extremely difficult in our busy, non-stop lives. But making time for everything is important. Make time for laughter, make time for fun, make time for your husband, and make time for you. At times it may seem like there is no time to get everything important done, and maybe that is true. However, the answer is not in putting aside all of the “smaller” things in life. We must find a balance to live happily and successfully because it is all of those “small” things that make our lives meaningful.
Balance between all things is important to our health and well-being.
Maybe these things seem a little tedious. They are easy to just push aside when it feels like there just isn’t time. However, they are important! Happy wife mom, happy life right? So work them in one at a time, little by little, and don’t turn back. Keep your list for personal goals growing and see how far you and your health gets.
So true. I think Hydration is the easiest, but often overlooked. I have to make sure to keep a water bottle with me all the time.
Great self-care tips! Thanks ?