Have you taken time to connect to yourself lately? I know, it’s hard to find the time….release any judgement about what you should have done or could have done for yourself. Now is the perfect time. Whether you’re 4 months postpartum or 4 years, we need to make self-care a priority. Here are some ideas on how you can take tender loving care of yourself.
- Create space for a daily pause
A self check in…. How am I today? What do I need? Where am I holding tension? What is on my mind? How can I let go of any unproductive thoughts? How can I support myself?
- Spend time in nature
Take a walk, go for a jog, sit on a bench. There’s no right or wrong way to be in nature! Nature does all the work for you, your job is to just take it in with all of your senses; sounds, sights, textures, scents and tastes.
- Build as supportive network, a “village” These should be people you can rely on for emotional support; a friend who’s a good listener, a support group, a therapist. And people you can rely on for practical support; someone to help with grocery shopping, someone who can watch your kids while you take a yoga class. Find your people. Let them in. Accept help when you need it and loving set boundaries when you need to.
- Rest
Give yourself permission to take a rest when you need it. Call on your village for help if you need time away from baby. Sleep is a function of our health, if we miss out on too much our body and overall well-being will suffer. Make sleep and quiet reflection time a priority. Remember we are human BEINGS not human DOINGS!
- Play
Be silly, be playful, have fun! Tapping into your creativity is one way to access your playfulness. I love this author’s idea of creating a play-book, you can read more about that here.
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Eat nurturing foodsYou may gravitate more toward a plant based diet or you may really want to get down with a grassfed burger. Do you, mama! The key is being mindful about what you put in your body and why. Instead of choosing your meal out of convenience, choose mindfully. Give yourself permission to be mindful about your next meal and notice what that experience feels like. Naturopathic doctors and nutritionists can be a great support in understanding what foods would be nurturing for your unique body.
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Practice Self-LoveTake time to recognize your greatness. Love on yourself like a boss! Don’t be afraid to talk lovingly to yourself ” Gina, I’m proud of you for taking that yoga class. You’re doing a great job tending to your body/mind/spirit. I love you!”. We spend way too much time criticizing ourselves. All that negative self-talk brings our frequency level down and creates a breeding ground for stress, dis-ease, and resentment. Let that shit go and love yourself.
Take gentle care of yourself mama.
Xo,
Gina
Hi Gina!
Loving your tips on postpartum self care! I may be the first to admit that I have been postpardom since you came into the world! Life gets so busy and there is such uncertainty raising a child for the first time, working on your relationships with husband, family, friends and juggling work. It is just so important to know how to take care of yourself as well, to find the time to just let things go.
You give such good and loving direction! I wish I had all of this information when I was carrying you! One of my biggest fears was how will I know how much to feed you!!!!! Believe me I really stressed over this, I guess it is Italian heritage on how important food is!!!
Anyway, thank you for your kind and loving insight, I know you will touch many Mama’s lives……….All my love, Mama
Thanks for the support, mom! And rest assured that you fed me well, literally and symbolically! All the support I have to give comes from the support you gave me. Love you!