Self-Care = Health & Wellbeing
Especially for Mom’s who give so much!!
Are you a Mom and/or a giver? Are you the one others love and appreciate so much for always being there? Do people ask you for help and you respond yes time and time again? But how often do you give to yourself? Do you take breaks during your day? Time for yourself each week? A play day each month? Does your body, mind or Spirit want you to give more to YOU?
Almost all of us have 100 reasons (or items on our task list) that seem more important than self-care like a play day or massage that may not appear to be a true NEED. Have you ever been so run down and exhausted until you have physical pain or illness that you have to stop and then it’s ok to get care and rest? (Haven’t we all??) Or have you really wanted and loved something in your life but haven’t taken the time to truly enjoy it? Years ago I got a new puppy I had been wanting for YEARS – I was SOOOO in love (my small version of motherhood… ;-)) and yet my task list and calendar were so full that my dogsitter had more quality time with my super adorable dog-child than I did!!
Steve and I are now huge cheerleaders of self-care, balance and nurturing and hope you will join us on our mission by looking at your own life and seeing where you could have more balance and fulfillment… 
We teach and suggest with clients to look at the areas of their life like spokes on a wheel of a bike: Health, Home, Family, Exercise, Career, Spirituality, Education, Finances, Relationships, Social Life, Joy, Creativity… If you rate your satisfaction in each area, center=0 or none, to complete fulfillment=10, how would your circle/wheel roll?? I did this myself years ago when my mind was convinced I should be launching my coaching career full speed ahead. Yet I was having health issues and my wheel showed up also very low in the areas of relationships, creativity and joy. The awareness brought me to tears, and then gave me good reason to shift my priorities which I am SUPER DUPER grateful for because it led me into action and finding Steve – my amazing life-partner, beloved & best friend!! YAY for awareness and conscious action!!!!!!!
10 Reasons/Excuses to Prioritize Self-Care
Please use this list to inspire you and give you reasons or ‘excuses’ to put yourself first – because YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!
- Life isn’t worth all the hard work if you’re not stopping to enjoy it!
- Your joy is a much greater gift and example to your children and loved ones than sacrifice and exhaustion…
- One afternoon of rest or play can make everything better!
- Creativity comes in-between the spaces – not by forcing things. (Like when we get the best ideas in the shower or on the porcelain reading chair. ;-))
- It’s far better to fill your self-care cup than get so depleted you get sick and can’t even enjoy the time off
- Stress and poor sleep are detrimental to our health. And as we’ve all heard… Love & Laughter are the best medicines!”
- Those who truly enjoy their lives live much happier, healthier & longer – George Burns is an example 😉
- We can get caught up in tasks, yet they are not truly more important to us than time with a loved one, or enjoying a beautiful day… Pause to consciously choose – what wins?
- Your family and friends love you so much – your health and happiness is more important than others always getting what they want (whether they recognize it in the moment or not – it’s true!!)
- When you get to the end of your life, you will never look back and say “I wish I had worked harder.” What do you WISH you had more of in your life and how can you take a small step towards that?
Ideas for Self-Care & Nurturing
Years ago I made a ‘Joy List’ to use as a reference for when I got in a funk and wanted ideas to help get out of it. Here are a few ideas. What items do YOU want to put on your joy and self-care list? What would you do if your fairy God-mother gifted you a FREE day to do anything you wanted? 🙂
- Beach walk with toes in the water – alone or with a good friend
- Dancing freeform for the joy of it
- A bath with candles, bubbles, good music…
- Getting a great massage!
- Watching a favorite inspiring movie -again!! (I LOVE corny musicals like Mamma Mia or Hairspray and singing along ;-))
- Connecting with a friend. (One of my favorites is a day at the Korean spa with my girlfriends . Sooo yummy!)
- Going out on a date night or staying in for a date night… 😉
- Favorite exercise, Yoga class or Laughter Yoga
- Lying in the sun in the yard, at the beach, park…
- Painting, singing or other creative expression
Take Time to Breathe…
If feeling overwhelmed or caught in a pattern, you can use your breath to re-center yourself and calm your nervous system. Take just 5 minutes (or more if desired) and get comfortable – consider changing your location to be outside or sit in a favorite chair. Focus on your heart and breathe in and out loving, forgiveness, peace or compassion… I invite you to give yourself the gift of PAUSING to renew when you need it.
And what exactly can breathing exercises do for you?
When you learn to take deep, slow breaths, your body mind & Spirit react in many positive ways:
- Your muscles relax and blood pressure lowers.
- Oxygen delivery improves. This increases the functionality of every system in the body and also . improves mental concentration and physical stamina.
- Endorphins are released. Deep breathing triggers the release of endorphins, which improves feelings of well-being and provides pain-relief.
- Detoxification improves. Good breathing habits help the lymphatic system function properly, which encourages the release of harmful toxins, lowers stress and supports your immune system.
- Sanity returns. Just a few minutes of breathing and interrupting a pattern can re-center us and help us make more conscious choices…
Next Steps for Greater Balance, Peace & Joy
Here are some suggestions to support your success in self-care and keep your intentions:
- Write down your intentions for your self-care. What are some small steps you are willing to do daily, weekly and/or monthly that would support you? Make these small steps something you can meet. You can grow them over time but if you over-commit it won’t support your success.
- Tell someone else about your self-care plan (so they can help hold you accountable). Coaches are great for that or ask a friend to be a self-care buddy where you share with each other your intentions and check in daily or weekly. I did a 30 day process and texted each day with a friend and it was super fun and empowering to text each other “BAM” “SHIZAM” “DID IT”! (Even though it was a tiny commitment of 5 minutes – I did it every day & kept my agreement with myself which was a big win!)
- Make small commitments – especially at first. Make them doable so you can win at it!
- No matter how small, celebrate yourself for doing it!!
- Calendar your self-care and you’ll be much more likely to follow through.
- If you miss one agreement or needs to change or renegotiate it, don’t make it a big deal. Just make a new commitment (small one) and make sure you can follow through on that one so you keep the momentum going. Acknowledge your progress and keep going. (No judgement zone!)
We care about you and your family and your loved ones care about you. PLEASE take care of you because YOU ARE WORTH IT!!
What self-care tasks would you like to commit to? Let’s support each other in our health & wellbeing!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Love & light, Wendy (& Steve too!)