As a stay-at-home mom, I spend my entire day, everyday, mediating arguments, teaching, cooking, and cleaning. When that’s you’re entire life, and even when it’s not, it’s easy to lose yourself. It’s easy to forget to take care of you. We forget that we matter just as much as those we love and place our needs on the back burner.
Putting myself on the back burner is something that I did for several years. Both my mental and physical health suffered tremendously because of it. It took so long to get out of that pattern, but I finally did a couple of years ago.
These are five things that I like to do to give back to myself after a long day of giving my all to everyone else:
1. Wash My Face
Washing your face isn’t just a matter of good hygiene and removing makeup, it’s a necessary ritual. Even if you don’t wear makeup, washing your face is such a refreshing thing to do. It fights off acne, helps remove all of the dirt, oil, and germs that have built up on your face throughout the day, and aides in removing dead skin cells. Though it seems insignificant, it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself each day.
2. Drink Hot Tea
I love a good cup of hot tea, even during the warmer months of the year. It’s one of those things that really helps me wind down at the end of the day . In addition to tasting absolutely delightful, hot tea also comes with a handful of benefits to your health, including:
- Enhancing your eye health.
- Reducing your risk of stroke.
- Sharpening your memory.
- Preventing tooth decay.
- Improving your digestion.
- Reducing your blood pressure.
- Strengthening your immune system.
- Curbing your stress and anxiety
If that’s not self-care, I don’t know what is.
3. Read a Book
I love books and I have so many of them. A little of a year ago, I was dealing with some pretty awful insomnia. In my quest to find things to help me sleep, I came across an article about reading a book close to bedtime. Not only does reading involve doing something I truly enjoy, I found that it also helps reduce my anxiety, making it easier to get to sleep at night. Since I suffer from an anxiety disorder, anything that helps ease it without adding more pills to my medicine cabinet is a win.
4. Journaling
Even if you’re just writing down thoughts that have nothing whatsoever to do with your day, journaling is good for the soul. It has been known to boost memory, improve penmanship, and relieve stress. Keeping a journal also helps relieve stress, improve your writing, and keep your thoughts organized. All of those things are great reasons to make journaling a nightly ritual.
5. Meditation
This is a big one for me. Meditation. Sitting down at the end of the day, listening to soothing music or a guided meditation, and just relaxing. It has become one of those things that I really rely on for so many reasons. There are times when I will even go sit by myself in my room during the day to meditate and get my bearings. If that’s not enough, here are a few science-backed reasons to give it a try:
- Reduces Stress
- Controls Anxiety
- Promotes Emotional Health
- Enhances Self-Awareness
- Lengthens Attention Span
- May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss
- Can Generate Kindness
- May Help Fight Addictions
Remember, even if you do something entirely different, something that isn’t on this list, it is important to take care of yourself. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s extremely necessary.
Not A Mombie 