As single moms, we know it is important to take care of ourselves.
But, what exactly does that mean?
“Self care includes the simplest, physical things - like making sure we get enough sleep and eating healthy meals,” says a Parent Support Network based in Northern Virginia, “But it also includes more emotional, social, psychological, creative/artistic, and even spiritual time for ourselves.”
Caring for yourself doesn’t just mean eating more vegetables. It means nurturing your wellbeing - body, mind, and soul.
Let’s take a look at how you can care for your whole self.
Three Ways to Nurture Your Wellbeing
Here are three ways to nurture your wellbeing, so you can feel better every day.
Rejuvenate Your Body
“Your body is your home, treat it with love and respect,” says Jasmin Terrany.
Your body is where you will live every single day, for the rest of your life. Treating your body well is one of the most powerful tools you have for feeling great. In fact, the more love you put into your body, the better results you will get from it.
What does it mean to care for your body? Caring for your body includes getting a full night of sleep, making exercise a daily tradition, and also eating colorful, nutritious meals.
Of course, treating your body well has seemingly endless benefits, from sparking weight loss to boosting your mood, improving your sex life to increasing your immune function. Want to be a happier, healthier, and more productive mom? Put your body first.
Elevate Your Mind
“We sustain psychological injuries even more often than we do physical ones. Injuries like failure, or rejection, or loneliness,” says psychologist Guy Winch, “And they can also get worse if we ignore them.”
All too often though, those psychological injuries don’t get the care they require to heal. We simply don’t prioritize our psychological health the way we do our physical health - and that kind of neglect can have real consequences.
To make sure your psychological self is in tip top shape, connect with friends, see a counselor, and get a mentor. Take it a step forward and try prioritizing your goals, read more books, and engaging in activities that keep you curious and motivated.
Making your psychological wellbeing a priority will extend to every area of your life; from your relationships with friends and family, to your satisfaction at work.
Nurture Your Soul
“Want to feel better and improve your health? Start by focusing on the things that bring you happiness,” says an article in the Harvard Healthbeat publication.
Happiness can have major impacts on your short and long-term wellbeing. An article in the UC Berkeley publication, Greater Good points out that happiness has been found to predict lower heart rate and blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, combat stress, and even lengthen lives.
Think about the things that bring you joy, work them into your lifestyle, and you will quickly elevate your everyday experience, and enhance your feeling of optimism and wellbeing.
Take Small Steps to Self Care
As a single mom, disappearing for a two-week yoga retreat may be unrealistic. But, that doesn’t mean that self care isn’t attainable.
In fact, by implementing some basic self care strategies into your lifestyle, you can feel better rested, more energized, and more optimistic every day.
Your child deserves to have a happy, healthy mother. Most importantly though, care for yourself because you deserve to be happy and healthy.
Summary of Part I: Part one of this article takes a look at strategies for implementing self care into your busy lifestyle.
