It seems that life is always moving at 100 mph! You’ve got laundry to do, you need to hit the grocery store, work is pressuring you about deadlines, you’ve been fighting with your husband, and your son has soccer practice after work. Self care is on your Wish List and not your To Do List.
Stop the freakin’ madness! I know it feels a little counter-intuitive because you have so much to do, but you and those you love will be richer for it. I promise!
When you are proactive in your life, you have greater control of your destiny!
Nutrition and exercise should always take priority in your regimen of self care, but don’t overlook these 3 areas where you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck. It’s time to be selfish and carve out some time for YOU!
Sleep
Good ole vitamin ZZZ! When was the last time you woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated to start your day? Yeah, me neither. This is one area where I constantly struggle. I’m a night owl, so I go to bed late, but I have all of these great ambitions for the morning.
I set the alarm early thinking I can survive on 5-6 hours sleep. Nope. I hit snooze for an hour and a half! I may have gotten 7.5 hours sleep, but it definitely was NOT quality. It isn’t until after I take a vacation where I really feel rested. (Yes, I make vacations a priority with a capital P, but we’ll save that for another post!)
Lack of sleep can be detrimental in so many ways. You can’t think or focus, your sex drive went out the window, you’re bitchy, you tend to eat crap food for comfort, you want a caffeine IV, you feel moody and sad, and believe it or not, it makes you LOOK older! I know its tempting to let loose with alcohol on the weekend since you’re blowing off steam for the week, but it really impacts the quality of your sleep.
Use the weekend as your chance to regroup…starting with a great night’s sleep!
When you aim to get 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep, you will have improved mood and focus, increased athletic performance, more energy, and definitely more patience with the kids! Sleep is also the time when your body heals itself, so you’ll have improved muscle recovery from your workouts and be in a better position to ward off colds, flu, heart disease, and symptoms of diabetes!
Solitude
We are constantly bombarded with chatter. Email, Facebook, TV, radio…it goes on and on. Remember when they even had TVs in the gas pumps with CNN? Drove me crazy! Pumping gas is actually one of those brief moments in my day where I stand still, look around at people, and think. It’s crucial that you take time to hear your own inner voice. How are you feeling? How do you want to feel? What do you want out of this part of your life?
When you are constantly with people or running errands, you get caught up in the day to day without being grounded with your very best self. If you start out your days thinking about how you want to feel, your subconscious remembers even when you aren’t thinking about it. You will gradually create those things and feelings in your life. You plant the seed and you move with intention. It’s a beautiful thing when everything is aligned!
Relationships
“Uh, relationships? Didn’t you just say solitude? And selfish doesn’t work in relationships!” I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out. There is no greater feeling than being in love. You want to shout it from the rooftops. You’re glowing. You’re annoying all of your friends with ‘He this’ and ‘He that’. But we know all too well, relationships take work and its easy to take them for granted. Life starts to happen and you’re back to your errands and the chatter.
When you work on your solitude to hear your own thoughts and dreams and then share them with your significant other (and encourage them to do the same), it’s powerful shit! Purposely directing your life together, creates pure intimacy. You don’t have to have the same goals, but when you take the time to really listen what your partner wants and why they want it, you can support them from a place of love and they will do the same. Make a daily effort to talk about things besides the kids, house, and work. Dream together.
It’s not really selfish to express to your partner what your needs are, but it can feel that way at times. Give yourself permission today and don’t wait until there’s a big fight and you blast out all the things you wanted 6 months ago. (I know, it’s what us chicks do.)
Also, make a point to communicate through touch. Awwww, yeah! I don’t mean sex, but simple gestures. Psychology Today published an article on the Power of Touch. It’s our first language and can express all ranges of emotions. When you are with your significant other and he simply puts his hand on yours, it makes you feel connected, seen, and heard. Isn’t that what we all want, anyway?
Once a week, check in with yourself and see how you did. What area did you focus on this week? What rewards did you feel because you took care of yourself? Where could you improve? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
