January 8 - 5 Ways to Take Care of Yourself

Day 8 - Write a list of 5 ways you can take care of yourself.

No one before marriage really imagines what the life of a mother is.

There will be days when you will not have a single look at yourself in the mirror.

There will be days when you will wake up and go to bed in your pajamas.

There will be Mondays when you will be happy to go back to work after the crazy weekend.

You only realize how important it is to take care of yourself when you start having physical and mental health issues. Fatigue, lack of sleep, mundane and never-ending housework, nervous breakdowns with kids tantrums and crying fits can lead to panic attacks and anxiety. It is only then that you realize that self-care is not a synonym for selfishness and egoism. It is a way to survive, to be there for your family. 

Self-care is one of my goals for 2019 and this is how I am going to work on it.

Here are 5 ways to take better care of myself

1- Self-Time

As an introvert, I am someone who is in desperate need for some "ME" time on a daily basis. It is usually the quiet time I enjoy with my coffee after the kids are in bed. It is the time I spend on social media planning and writing my blog posts and connecting with other bloggers.
During the daytime when I feel overwhelmed by too much noise I again pull myself away for a short break to read a book, to journal or just enjoy the silence.

2- Connect with others

Alone time is very essential but from time to time, once every two weeks I feel the need to go out without kids - maybe a girls night, a coffee meeting, visiting an exhibition or just doing some weekend shopping.

3- Sleep

Did you know that lack of sleep leads to weight gain, affects your memory and brain, causes depression, weakens your immunity and damages your skin? 
So you'd better put it a priority to get a good night's sleep every day.

4- Exercise

It's not compulsory to go to the gym in order to exercise. Just turn on fun and dynamic exercise videos on YouTube and keep moving. The videos can be as short as 3 minutes but very effective. You can also try the plank exercise to keep your whole body fit. Whenever possible, take the stairs and purchase a step calculator watch to keep track of your daily steps.




5- Eat Healthy

Eating healthy should not be a temporary diet. It should start by adopting healthy habits. Start with baby steps. 

Replace white sugar with brown cane sugar, white flour with wholewheat flour. Then exclude sodas (just read the packaging to find out all the artificial ingredients). Drink more water, eat more raw and frozen fruits and vegetables, less canned and processed food. 

Take some vitamins if necessary, Omega 3 or a Complex Multivitamins. They are good supplements for your skin, hair and your nervous system.


This post was inspired by The January Mind, Body and Writing Challenge hosted by Linda Jean from Witte's World Blog.