I hear you… “Seriously, Sara? FOUR elements of self-care? I can’t even manage the one element of washing my hair more than twice a week (at best), it’s impossible for me to tackle FOUR!”
Seriously, I. hear. you.
Hear me out for a minute though…
you don’t cuss around your children (unless you’re me and let a few F-bombs slip every now and then when you’re super frustrated) because you don’t want them to start saying what you say.
you’re constantly saying please and thank you so they adopt the same behavior.
you take a bite of their vegetables to show them how delicious they are so they’ll eat them.
Are you getting the picture? We ACT in the ways we want our kids to act because we know it’s not what we say that matters as much as what we do. So if this is the case with most things in life, why wouldn’t it also be the case with their and our self-care?
Do I have your attention now??
Thought so.
If not, let me spell this out… If you don’t take the time to develop a self-care routine for yourself NOW that your kids are aware of and learn to respect, they most likely won’t develop their own self-care routines as they grow up and when they are eventually parents themselves.
I don’t know about you, but the thought of my two girls stinking to high hell with dreads in their hair because they haven’t thought to shower themselves in a few days as a mom breaks my heart.
Okay, so what are the four elements? Good question.
They are:
Mind
Heart
Spirit
Body
Here’s a simple but loaded question for you… what is one thing you’re doing in each of these areas for SELF-care?
If you ask me (a life coach and mom), they each build upon one another and we have to first tackle the care of our mental and emotional states before we will truly be confident and stable in the care of our body. This is because nine times out of ten, the eating habits we have developed (binge eating cookies after our kids go to bed, for example… just me?!) have nothing to do with the food itself, but have some deeper in meaning.
What would change for your life and the lives of your family members if you were to be more focused on your self-care? (ps - this is NOT, I repeat, NOT a selfish act, but one of necessity)
To get you started, here are a few ideas for each of these four elements to get you started on your own self-exploration of self-care.
MIND
disconnect from technology
get organized
read and play mental-strengthening games
learn
HEART
get centered
journal and practice gratitude
develop relationships
release internal and external judgement
SPIRIT
get outdoors
meditate and/or pray
define your values
journal
BODY
get good sleep
eat well
snuggle
take a bubble bath