As I mentioned in this post, my goal for 2017 is to focus more on me, meaning practicing self-care. Before I had children self-care was something I took for granted; it was a given. After having babies it became a luxury...now, with the kids being age two and six months, it is a necessity. Why? Because without taking care of myself first, how am I to take care of my family and my home? How am I supposed to be a good mother, a good wife, and a good teacher when I go back to work later this year? Practicing self-care is not selfish. It is the opposite. It is something I must make time for, and my husband has been wonderful in giving me space for self-care. I also believe that it is extremely important for my children to grow up with a mother who takes care of herself and her passions to model healthy living. Here are five ways I am practicing self-care:
1. SOAK
Whether I lock myself in the bathroom and draw a hot bubble bath or slip outside for a soak in our hot tub, the warmth and solitude is the perfect time to think, to relax, to rejuvenate. I have always resorted to the bathtub for "me-time" since I was very young, so it's not surprising that this is still one of my top things to do for self-care.
2. HAVE A CUPPA
The ritual of having my morning cup(s) of coffee, afternoon tea, and evening wine are important to me. They give me energy, relaxation, and pleasure. Sharing a glass (or two) of wine with my husband while we talk about the day or play with the kids in the evening is the perfect way to end the day. I'm also not a mom who drinks cold coffee or tea. I make sure that I get to enjoy it while it is hot -- and the kids are quite good with this.
3. GET ACTIVE
Movement and fresh air is important so that I don't feel the laziness settle in. Being the middle of winter, and extremely cold, fresh air has been hard to come by. It's something I am looking forward to as the winter draws to a close! One thing I've been doing to stay active this winter is by taking classes offered by our local parent and child centre. Maris and I have been taking Mommy and Me fitness classes once a week that focus on strength training, and Ari and I will be starting pre-school gym nights this week to learn games and run around. It's good for the body AND soul.
4. LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Being a teacher, the phrase, "life-long learning" has always been high up there for me. Work offers me many opportunities for professional development and personal growth in my career. I am currently on my maternity leave, and there does feel like there is a bit of a lag in my learning. So, I decided to learn more about cooking! Our city is offering World Cooking Classes this winter and I have been going and enjoying the cuisine and lessons. I also have been struggling to find time to meal plan since Maris was born. Last month I came upon the service, Hello Fresh, and have been enjoying the weekly deliveries of quick, healthy recipes and the groceries to cook them. Through these recipes I have learned many new cooking tricks and ideas. We are eating much better -- and my husband is very pleased with the improvement in our dinners!
5. CREATE
I have always been someone who loves to create. Whether it's crafting, decorating, gardening or digital technology, I always have something on the go. Having kids has really taken me from my hobbies and you start to feel that loss of creative thinking and productivity. I knit Maris a romper right after Christmas and that really jump-started my need to focus on self-care. Now I am working hard to finish up a knitting project I started two years ago (!) and I just ordered several sewing projects from Spoonflower. I can't even explain how excited I am to get started on them! I also love decorating and updating our house. A project that I am planning for later this winter/spring is to update our bedroom. It is currently the oldest painted room in our house and is no longer 'of fashion'. My mom and I are going to work together to refresh the paint, and I am on the lookout for new artwork and curtains. It's amazing how having a project gives you focus and purpose.
And those are my top five ways I am practicing self-care this year...of course there are other little things I do here and there to take care of me, but I feel like these are the big ones that I need in my life. What do you like to do for yourself?
P.S. These two articles from the blog, THIRTEEN THOUGHTS, are also useful.
Photo: Credit
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