Taking Care of Yourself Tuesday: It’s the Little Things

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Taking care of yourself well can be all about the little things.  Taking your vitamins, taking time to feed yourself well, exercising, taking time to pursue things you love, are all little things that add up to a healthy and happier you.  It’s so important for moms to love themselves well so that they can love others well. you cannot give what you don’t have.

So, today I thought I would encourage you to do a little thing that I think many moms should do to feel a little better about themselves.  Today I want to challenge you to take a good look at your undergarments.  That’s right, you know the bra that you’ve been wearing for years or the panties that are comfy but getting holes in them? How about the plain old granny panties? Toss them out and invest in some new ones.

Why do we do this as moms?  If our kids had holes in their underwear we would buy them new pairs but we tend to neglect ourselves in this way {If you don’t then kudos to you}.

I still have maternity underwear and I haven’t been pregnant for 3 1/2 years! I’m tossing it and putting more effort into pretty undergarments {maybe even matching! I know it’s amamzing!}.  I know that I feel better when I feel pretty and taken care of. Even if you are pregnant or nursing you can find some pretty alternatives to drab bras and panties.

How about you? Does your undergarment wardrobe need a makeover?  When you think about it these things are not that expensive and you’ll be happy you invested in yourself.  I’m pretty sure your husband will be happy about it too!!

Disclosure: affiliate links are present in this post.  I only ever recommend what I use and love myself.

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Taking Care of Yourself Tuesday: Unplugging to be Present

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One really important way we can take care of ourselves is unplugging to be present in our lives.  I’ve been thinking about how much noise is in our lives these days. We carry phones that give us access to what all of our friends are up to, our email, videos, music and more.  We watch TV, listen to music (now anywhere we have speakers thanks to iPhones, iPods and iPads), and have information (any information) at our fingertips as soon as we think about wanting it.

All of these things are great for a mom who wants to be productive and make the most of her time.  But I’ve been noticing that all of this noise makes it difficult to stay present in the moments of life.  And sometimes I think we don’t care to.

Perhaps the present moments in life are painful?  Maybe they are just hard.

Motherhood is hard.  It can be great and fun, but there is really no way around the hard {trust me, I’ve tried to make it easier}.  I’m not going to list all of the ways moms work because I’m pretty sure you can name them easily.  The point is that, because it is hard, we can find ourselves not wanting to feel it or deal with it.  We can look for ways to escape and we have plenty of ways to be numb to our present reality.

 

The problem is that when we are constantly listening to noise and escaping reality we are missing opportunities to be present, to be thankful for what we have, to acknowledge the good things and to get healing for the sad/hard/painful things.

I’d like to encourage you to make time to unplug every day to live in the present moments. Some ways you can do this are:

  • Only check your email once or twice a day.
  • Don’t keep the TV on when you aren’t actively watching it.
  • Write down the things you think of that you need to check online and set your timer when it is time to look them up.
  • Get in the habit of leaving your phone in your purse when you are eating a meal.

The goal is to stay present most of the time.  This isn’t just for your kids sake but for your sake.  When you learn to really listen to yourself, your feelings, and take in the beauty of life around you, you will have less reasons to feel the need to escape.

Here are some things to do help you enjoy your present reality:

  • Over time invest your time and money into making your home {especially the rooms you spend the most time in} beautiful and peaceful.
  • Eat without the distractions of your phone, computer or TV. You’ll enjoy what you eat and probably eat less.
  • Count the things you are thankful for as opposed to the things that you are bothered by.
  • Give yourself permission to relax and enjoy life instead of always having to stay busy.

How about you?  Do you feel like you are constantly connected and distracted?  Are you trying to avoid pain? How do you make sure you are staying present.

 

 

Filed Under: Mommy Tips, Taking Care of Yourself