Lisa teams up with author, Alysia, to share their favorite self-care tips and how to fit them in while parenting
The last few weeks of being stuck inside have made us all a little crazy. It’s also brought on more roles for many of us. Some moms are now working full-time from home when we never have before, some of us have become full-time teachers when we don’t have credentials and others are becoming entrepreneurs because they’ve been forced into the role without even knowing how.
One thing I know to be true for all of these roles is there is a lack of recharging ourselves mentally, physically, spiritually, socially and emotionally. These five aspects are known as the dimensions of self-care.
Self-care is definitely not one-dimensional and we need to address each area accordingly in order to be able to live a well-rounded and healthy life.
But what does that look like and how can it be accomplished when we are already pushed to our limits? What good does it even do?
Your cup may seem as empty as it can get, but if you take the time to realign and recharge with what’s important, you will come to find your health and well-being overflowing with energy, positivity and a new outlook on life.
So let’s fill that cup!
Once the world opens up once again, we still need to be appreciative and mindful of these aspects of life.
Alysia - mom blogger, self-care enthusiast and author - and I have banded together and developed ways for you to live fully, when your cup feels especially empty.
The mind is the most powerful component in your body.
If you fail to address this area, you will often feel drained and at your wits’ end.
Read / Audio Books
I’m all about personal development. This keeps your mind strong. Do this 5 minutes when you wake or 5 minutes before bed.
A couple of my favorites are:
You are a Badass at Making Money - Jen Sincero
Good Moms Don’t - Alysia Lyons (applicable to moms!)
Still can’t find time to read? Then listen to the audio version while the kids do their own activity. It’s good for them to listen to positivity, too!
Listen to Podcasts
Pick a topic or subscribe to a channel of things you want to learn more about or use as an aid in your personal growth. I turn one on while cleaning so I'm learning while tidying the house.
I personally love The Seriously Though Podcast with Alisa & Michael Manjarrez. They teach about finances and being an effective leader, and also teach me how to make the best drinks and what restaurants to hit up. They are awesome people and down to earth with real tips and tricks for surviving in this crazy world.
Alysia said one of her favorite podcasts is the Life Coach School Podcast with Brooke Castillo. She teaches various techniques for coping with our own emotions, as well as coping with other people.
Your health affects every aspect of your life. Whatever we put into our body (including what we put into our mind) comes out in our behavior, our emotions, our productivity, our mood, etc.
Take Your Vitamins
My personal vitamin FAVE is Shakeology. I’ve been drinking it for 3 years consistently and it keeps me healthy, energized, and where I want to be with my weight and fitness goals. Plus it tastes like a milkshake, so what could be better? (Psst, ask me how you can get a discount.)
The best part about this self-care is I can do it while the girls eat breakfast, it only takes about 2 minutes and it sets me up for the rest of the day!
Exercise
Even if it's only a 10 to 15 minute increment walk around your home, moving your body releases those endorphins for your physical well-being.
Pro Tip: Wake up just a little before your little ones so you get the best workout. Can’t wake up early? Then get your little ones to join you!
I have been putting a lot of focus on this area the last 3 years and it’s completely changed my mindset and my world.
Lacking in this area and leading a sedentary lifestyle means making more time for healthcare professionals and medications, because most likely you will deal with illness. Think you don’t have time for 10-15 minutes now? Doctor’s appointments and medication side effects take even more time from your day.
Looking for a great intro program that doesn’t require a lot of time? Email me to join The Motivated Mamas Society. It’s affordable and comes with all the resources and support necessary to work that physical self-care in at home within a limited amount of time!
Pamper Yourself
As moms, we spend a lot of time taking care of others, but we often neglect to do things for ourselves. Pampering yourself is a great way to practice self-care. Taking a bath, getting a massage or even simply having a few minutes to yourself, can all be ways of pampering.
Alysia says one of her favorite ways to pamper herself is taking care of her skin.
“I’ve been using Mary Kay skin care for around twelve years. We use make-up mostly to hide the things we don’t like about our appearance. When you use really good skin care, you improve the appearance of your skin, reduce wrinkles and we enjoy the reflection in the mirror a lot more. The Ultimate Miracle set is what I use.”
Sleep
Oftentimes the only thing we need is a nap. Secure the kids in a room that’s safe with you, give them something to do, lie down and just close your eyes for 15 minutes. I personally think this is one of the best self-care activities. ;p
Practicing Silence
Waking just 5 minutes earlier and practicing silence, also known as meditating, will start your day on the right note and help you put things into perspective. From here you can start your day or go straight into one of these other categories.
Alysia states, “Before the pandemic, I would get up an hour before the rest of the family. I had an hour of time to myself to collect my thoughts, be alone with myself and do whatever I felt I needed before the day started.”
Praying or Devotionals
Whatever your religious beliefs are, take a moment to reset midday with a prayer or devotionals. Putting yourself in the right place spiritually helps you to deal with the most difficult of times. Give your kids a book and crack open that Bible or say a prayer together before bed.
Sacred space
My corner in my bedroom is my sacred space, along with my office. It’s the place I do my reflection and BIG picture growth ideas. During nap time or right before bed, go to your sacred space, take a moment to reflect, think BIG going forward into the next day and plan out what actions you will take to get there.
Yoga
This is a great way to move your body and focus on your breathing. You can do this with the kiddos if you’re pressed for time or can’t wake any earlier. I offer a wide range of yoga programs within the Motivated Mamas Society, so feel free to email me with questions.
Communication & Interaction
As moms, we really lack in this area most times.
Currently being stuck in quarantine doesn’t afford us the ability to physically see people in person. We can interact with our friends and have our kids join in, in the following ways:
Even prior to the quarantine, I struggled with meeting people in person just because of my inconsistent and chaotic schedule.
Ask for Help
If you are lucky enough to have a spouse living with you during the quarantine, there is no shame in asking for help sometimes. Remember, it’s a team effort to survive.
Once we can return into the world, ask someone you trust to give you a few minutes a day. It doesn’t need to be hours.
Setting Boundaries
Set boundaries with your kids. Let them know that everyone deserves a little “me time”, and explain what that means for all of us. Practice your “me time” at the same time and show them from the get-go that self care is important!
Join a Support Group
I developed The Millionaire Mamas Club for moms, mompreneurs and women to unite, seek support, and develop themselves personally and professionally. Most of the time we just need a little guidance in order to feel cared for. Join the group, it’s free!
Alysia’s Community, Conquer Mom Guilt, is another Facebook group that is a community of moms that want to help and support one another.
5 Minute Rule
Hal Elrod talks about this in his book. When you are triggered by something upsetting, set an alarm for the next 5 minutes, yell, scream, hit a pillow, cuss–whatever gets out that frustration. Once the timer goes off you say, “Can’t change it”, accept it and move on. You no longer dwell on it because it’s out of your hands anyway. Something already happened, so it’s been said and done. Accept it and move on.
This has done wonders for not only my emotional peace, but my self-esteem.
Journal
Writing down your thoughts is an extremely powerful thing. Have you ever heard of the saying, “seeing is believing”? Writing down your thoughts and creating action items for yourself on how to move forward makes you believe and execute pretty much anything you desire in this life. So grab a notebook in your favorite color and start writing!
Practice Affirmations
You are what you believe yourself to be. If you think horrible things about yourself, then that will be your reality. I’ve recently been talking to my clients about positive attitudes and how they will get you whatever you want in life, I mean WHATEVER YOU WANT.
So I ordered these adorable little cards and I’m going to practice positivity every morning before I start my day. It only takes 2 minutes, pick 3 cards and say them over and over until you start to embody the emotion and motivation.
From there, you are unstoppable.
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Release the Mom Guilt
A lot of times, lack of self-care can create emotional outbursts that we wouldn't have if we were making self-care a priority. But sometimes there’s a deeper reason for those emotional outbursts.
Mom guilt can create anxiety and anger. It can cause us to say yes when we want to say no, or vice versa. In my research, I found most moms have guilt, but what I also found is there’s not a lot of information out there on how to get rid of the guilt.
Alysia wrote the most amazing book on how to let go of the unwarranted guilt.
“I wrote a book to help moms let go of their guilt, because I had a massive shift in my life when I let go of the guilt. I wanted to help moms do the same because of the difference I saw in my parenting, in my relationship with my son and in my relationship with myself. Mom guilt is real, but it doesn’t have to run our life. Our children deserve happy moms and we should do everything in our power to become the best version of ourselves.”
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We hope you’ve found this article informative and helpful, and remember you DESERVE that “me time”. What’s your favorite self-care activity that you practice?
Be in-the-know on how to be the most unstoppable version of yourself!
