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You hear all the time about women neglecting their needs and desires for the sake of their children and significant others. They try to the impossible by being all things at all times to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of those they love. Often relying on society, friends, and family members’ opinions, they strive to be the perfect mom, wife, or girlfriend. Yet, after years of exhausting their physical, mental, and emotional energy, they lose sight of themselves.
Self-Care Is The Answer
While it’s true that being a mother and part of a committed relationship requires time and effort, women must learn the importance of caring for themselves. Running yourself ragged every day to ensure that the people you love most are safe, happy, and healthy will only result in your own physical, emotional, social, and spiritual demise. Essentially, the only way to change course is to practice a little self-care.
What is Self-Care?
If you’ve ever read a parenting blog or women’s health magazine, chances are you’ve heard the term self-care. In a nutshell, it is the practice of taking deliberate actions to enhance your physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. Continue reading to learn more about what self-care is and what it isn’t.
Self-Care is Nourishing Your Body
From your straight or curly tresses to the tip of your toes, your body is a temple. It is the vessel from which you can get up every day and be there for your family. If your body is not in the best shape, it makes everything in life challenging. As such, to practice self-care is to nourish your body.
You should be eating foods enriched with the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to thrive every day. You should be eating at least three times a day with a few snacks in-between if you’re hungry. At least an hour of your day should also be dedicated to exercising for enhanced physical strength, endurance, and prolonged life.
Self-Care is Nourishing Your Mind
Your mental and emotional well-being are just as important as your physical health. Yet, it is often the most overlooked by women. If you’re unable to think, focus, and manage your emotions, you’re unable to live a fulfilling and purposeful life. You’re also incapable of giving your children and your significant other the love and happiness they deserve.
Nourishing your mind means managing stress. Whether this means saying no when you’re overwhelmed, setting up wedding websites to make planning a wedding more manageable, or walking away from a job that sucks you dry, you must learn how to keep the stresses of life from harming you. Nourishing your mind also means learning more about your authentic self, falling in love with who you are, surrounding yourself with positive people, and doing things that center and bring you peace.
Self-Care is Nourishing Your Soul
Your soul is the spirit or very essence of who you are deep down. It encompasses everything from your morals and beliefs to your character and way of life. In deciphering what a soul means, you can see why it’s so important to protect and nourish it at all times.
There are several ways to nourish your soul. You can connect with your preferred higher power, meditate, read, learn new things, self-reflect, invest in your passions, detox from negative energies and bad habits, or spend time in nature.
Self-Care Is Not Selfish
There is one common misconception among women that practicing self-care is somehow selfish. Yes, they are daily activities, routines, and rituals that cater exclusively to your health and wellness, but it is not at all selfish. Think about it for a minute. If you are not physical, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually sound, how can you ensure that your loved ones get the same? How can you be the driving force in their lives? When you learn to love yourself and put yourself first, you can be the best mother, wife, and woman possible.
Stop making excuses for why you’re not taking care of yourself. Yes, motherhood and relationships come with significant responsibilities, but not so much so that you have to take yourself out of the equation. Use the definition and examples of self-care provided above to improve your health and enrich your life.