I hope you are all enjoying the long three day weekend.. for us, it’s a four day weekend because there’s no school tomorrow either.. something about a mid-Winter break. What. Is. That?! And WHY?! After the multiple snow days that hit Seattle, we are OVER IT. Time to get back to school and the normal program.. cuz we are sick of each other.
Anyway, after celebrating Valentine’s Day and showing my kids and husband some love last week, I thought today’s post should be about self-love and self-care because unless you’re happy and healthy, how can you make anyone else happy? I have spent the better part of the last three months practicing self-care and really carving time out for myself. I do something for myself every. single. day.. whether that be take a bath, do my skincare routine or just get a latte from Starbucks.. the little things add up and I have found that I am a happier and more pleasant person if I have time to myself. It’s not easy and I struggle to find the time juggling three kids, a husband, dog and household. But, it’s important to me and I have to do it for my mental well-being. Here are the ways I practice Self-Care each week:
Morning Routine
I find that doing the same thing every single morning before the boys get up really sets the tone for my day. The very first thing I do is open the blinds to let the light in (at least during the summer.. right now it’s still dark til 8 am ugh but I still open the blinds and get a good glimpse outside to see what we’re workin with). Then I make the bed (have to.. otherwise my day just goes to shit.. anyone else feel that way?!), wash my face, apply my serums, lotion and SPF for the day, brush my teeth with my new toothbrush that times me for 2 full minutes and then drink 40 oz of ice cold lemon water out of my HydroFlask. I put it on my side table before bed each night and wake up to ice cold water first thing in the morning.
Once I get downstairs, I drink my celery juice, make a whole milk latte and and get the kid’s breakfast and lunch boxes ready for the day. Having this time and routine to myself in the mornings prepares me for the day. Granted, sometimes the boys are up before me and I am rushed downstairs but I’d say 5 out of 7 days, this is my exact routine and ensures a positive mind for the day ahead.
Exercise
I don’t just exercise to lose the baby weight.. I need it for my mental health. If I don’t get a workout in during the day, or at least break a little bit of a sweat, I’m kind of a B. And by kind of, I mean huge. I just need to release that pent up energy. Alix has gotten me back into Pure Barre and reformer pilates at our favorite studio in Seattle (Studio 45) and I’m really loving the high-intensity, low impact workouts (Alix has a whole post about this coming soon!). However, we just entered the lottery for the marathon we hope to run this summer so it’s time to start training ASAP. I purchased this running guide and plan to start incorporating more runs into my workout routine. Pray for me.
Meditation
I talked a little bit about Headspace in last week’s Happy Hour and how I carve out time in the afternoon to meditate. It’s a learned skill and by no means am I an expert at meditation but I find that doing it for 3-5 minutes a day calms me down and clears my head. There’s no doubt that I deal with anxiety and my mind racing a million miles a minute. My heart races and I just can’t sit still. So meditation forces me to sit down and be QUIET. I do this when my kids are napping, which happens around 1:30 every day. You should try it.. the app is free! I am starting with their “Basics” to meditation and hope to move on to more targeted meditation specifically for stress relief and anxiety. Will keep you posted on my progress!
Face Masks
God I love a good face mask in the afternoon! When the kids are napping and I have a minute to myself, I like to put on my Crest White Strips and favorite dewy mask and bask in the glory. I always look for face masks with the words “illuminating” or “hydrating.” Sephora carries some great ones here and they’re only $6 a pop. If you’re feeling fancy, try their lip masks and lavender foot mask at night.. supposed to help soothe the nervous system and aide in sleep.. I mean not sure about all of that but why the hell not?! Go ahead and just be EXTRA with that foot mask. My husband is always like, “REALLY?” So judgey. And yes… REALLY.
Night Routine
Much like my morning routine, I do the same thing every night. After the kids go to bed at 7 pm, I go to my bathroom, shut the door, light my favorite candle and do my skincare routine, which can be found in this post. I spend a good 10 minutes to myself and get ready for bed in a very zen-like environment. Nothing about my life is zen.. you should see this shit show on the daily.. it’s loud and chaotic and whiney and just mind-blowingly noisy. So this little slice of heaven after the kids go to bed is GOLD. Then I drink my Calm tea and spend some time with my husband before bed. Man, I am relaxed just thinking about it 😉
Some of this is repetitive as I’ve talked about self-care before but dedicating an entire post to the topic reminds me to take breathers throughout the day and it should encourage you to do the same. We all deserve a break, whether you’re single, married, dating, have kids, don’t have kids, work or stay at home. Loving yourself should be at the top of your priority list and treating yourself to life’s little luxuries is one way to make that happen.
xx, H
