Time to Pamper Yourself

When we have kids, our whole world shifts. Our priorities change, our lifestyle, our sleep cycle…relationships…pretty much every aspect changes. What most often happens as we scramble and try to adapt to the changes is we forget about a major factor … and that’s ourselves. At first, we think it’s no big deal, but as time goes on, we start to change and most often have forgotten to take care of ourselves and end up where we are. It’s important to show yourself love and to pamper yourself. 

Why Self-care Is Important

I know it’s hard to prioritize taking a relaxing bath or putting your feet up when you feel like the laundry needs to get done and the house can be a mess. But self care is important especially when it comes to stress and being able to handle it.

When we are emotionally and physically spent…it’s harder to handle stress than when we are feeling our best.

Taking time for ourselves definitely has it’s benefits.

So here are my 6 top sure fire signs that you need to go and pamper yourself and your spirit starting today.

1. You wake up exhausted.

   You’re tired all the time, dragged out and beyond exhausted..  You depend on caffeine to get you through the day and can’t wait for bedtime.

   1. What you need is to get your butt to bed earlier, fill your body with the proper nutrients cause believe it or not, food contributes to how you feel including your energy. Put the brakes on the coffee, sneak a nap if you can even if it’s 10 minutes and concentrate on getting that 7-9 hours of sleep. For bonus pampering get yourself some super comfy sheets to sleep in and try some melatonin to help get those zzz’s and a better quality sleep.. And then today go do something fun for yourself.

2. You are snapping and having emotional outbursts.

   You don’t even know where it’s coming from. You’re on edge and about snap your crayons at any given moment. You feel overwhelmed and stressed with everything surrounding you, Life Feels Overwhelming, small tasks feel like big tasks and you long for a moment of silence and peace and quiet and not doing anything for anyone. You may be in tears more often than you are smiling,You’re literally crying when something spills and forget about a sappy commercial. You don’t feel like yourself ..your life doesn’t feel balanced and you long to get back to normal. Something is missing and you feel alone.

   1. Write the things that make you feel sad or mad or just blah and write down a solution for each. Then take each one, write the steps to get there and then go do it. This is a sanity saver.
   2. Next, make a gratitude list of the things you are grateful for. Acknowledge that you need something for yourself and go out and do it. Also acknowledge all the awesome things you’ve accomplished.
   3. Feeling this way is evident you need time for yourself.. If you don’t start taking care of yourself…this is going to get worse and you’ll be wrecking not only your relationships but will be on your way to a royal meltdown.Take a break, take a day off, take a week off! You need time to reign in those feelings and take a breather. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 5 days. Only you can take care of you.

3. You Have Weight To Lose:

   whether it’s 10 lb or 100 lbs …You are at a place where you don’t feel good about yourself or where you want to be and the weight bothers you. Your clothes don’t fit properly, you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin and you get upset about it and then you chase your feelings down with a bag of chips or a box of cookies. [or insert your own sabotaging food here] Then there’s the excuses that you make and rinse and repeat. I’ve been there tha’ts why I know.
   
   For New mommies, it’s understandable to have that extra weight and are somewhat excluded in this category as of course ….you naturally gain weight while you are pregnant. However….if your baby is over 1….it’s time to release that extra weight and take care of your body. I’ve had women tell me that they still have baby weight and then I ask how old their kids are and their over 5. That’s not baby weight.  

   1. You’re not eating properly….you’re either missing meals, eating processed food or overindulging on foods that’ hurt you saying you don’t care while you stuff your face.. The food you’re eating isn’t healthy and makes you feel like crap.
   2. I know in the moment it feels good to shove chocolate in your face or binge on pizza…but then we all know the guilt sets in. That’s not taking care of yourself.
      So the next time you say I don’t even care and go to reach for the chips….think about how you usually feel after you eat it. Please don’t sabotage yourself. You’re punishing yourself and it’s not helping all the other things that we’ve already talked about. It turns into a vicious cycle and you hurt yourself in the process. Set a schedule of when to eat, prepare your snacks and food ahead of time.  Take the time to find some healthy recipes on line that you know you’re going to enjoy. Doesn’t have to be salad, but something tasty, just not pizza etc.
   3. I have a video that I have posted that talks about the hunger & fullness scale and what to do etc.
   4. Get yourself a gym membership ….it gets you out of the house, away from the kids and hubby etc. Or create a space at home that’s your little gym corner and then get your butt moving.  If you do have that weight to lose then

1. You Haven’t Done Anything for Yourself This Week Or Longer!

   you don’t put yourself or your needs first. You haven’t had a day off to yourself AND If you had a day off you wouldn’t know what to do.You haven’t left the house in more than a day.

   1. Get out, get fresh air, go for a walk where you feel good like around water or trees or a fountain.  
   2. Not 1 week should go by without you spending some sort of time for yourself. Each day ask yourself….”what can I do today to make myself happy?. Then do it. Can be as small as relaxing with a good book, having a cup of tea or as big as going out for the day and doing the things that make YOU happy and smile.

Everyone needs a break and the sooner you remind yourself and put yourself first…the better you feel and the faster you’ll feel better. It’s not selfish. It’s self care.

1. Your Best Outfit Lately is Your Pajamas

   or comfy clothes aka who cares what I wear today. Need i say more? You’re hair is a mess and you almost forgot when you took a shower last and don’t even feel like showering. Everything seems like a chore.  

   1. Busy moms have a lot of things on their to do list. But besides hygiene purposes for taking a shower, it can give you some alone time and you can feel fresh when you’re done.   Create a morning routine, make sure to take a shower to get your day started.  If you can’t do it in the morning…then plan for it to be the last thing before bed at night. Get yourself a nice pair of comfy clothes that still make you feel 8/10. Toss the old ratty things.  Lay your clothes out the night before so you’re not too lazy in the morning. Lay your gym gear out too.

• You’ve stop caring about the things you usually care about or are interested in.

• The things you normally care about doing doesn’t sound fun anymore and everything just kind of seems meh. Maybe you’ve even started noticing that that’s how you’re feeling or by just hearing me talk about this,  it clicked. Maybe at first you think it’s just cause you’re tired…or maybe now it’s at the point that you could be heading down the lonely depression road. Be sure to check up with your doc

1. ”You are constantly sick

   whether it’s a cold, the flu, feeling nauseous etc. You never feel good, even if you’re not “sick”.

   1. This is a huge indicator of needing some self care and pampering. This is why it’s important to eat to support your body, get those vitamins in you, boost your immune system, and chill out get your rest.