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Create Healthy Habits by Practicing Self Care

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Become a priority in your life. I’m sharing ideas to create healthy habits by practicing self care.

My crazy family of four and why I need to create healthy habits to practice self careHow many of you feel like you need permission to make yourself a priority?  I’m guilty of feeling this way.  

I am a married mother of two, I work from home and as with every other family I know… our plates are a little full and life feels crazy sometimes.  Kinda like this picture of us from Easter last year.  I love it because it’s so “us”… far from perfect, lots of laughing and lots of tackling 😉 #boymomlife  There are nights I get into bed and the pressure to get it all done feels suffocating.

I am tired.

 I am overwhelmed.

I need to make myself a priority.

I love my family, I love our VERY imperfect life… but I do wish life didn’t feel so darn FAST.

For the month of February, I’m encouraging us all to S L O W down and practice self care.  I know if I need it, there are others out there who need it, too.  I want to help you create healthy habits by practicing self care and I’m going to be doing this right along with you.

What is self care?

Self care is defined as any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.

This month I want you to be intentional about putting YOURSELF first for 10 minutes each day.

Brown chair with blankets and a pillow and coffee cup.

This month I want you to be deliberate about doing something that makes YOU happy.Woman holding a puppy outside in a red jacket and stocking cap

This month I want you to release any guilt you have for taking care of YOU.

Have you heard the quote, “You can’t pour from an empty cup” ?  If we are always pouring ourselves out to everyone else we are going to be left feeling resentful, exhausted and overwhelmed.  

Take a deep breath.  

Let go of guilt and spend 10 minutes each day focusing on yourself.  

Put down your phone, turn off the TV… take TEN minutes for YOU to unwind and do something you enjoy.  We all have that small amount of time everyday, we just have to be intentional about using it and stop wasting it.

Overhead picture of a woman holding a cup of coffee on her lap with a saucer

You deserve this time.

You deserve time to recharge.

You will appreciate your family more.

You will appreciate your work more.

You will appreciate your body more.

Let go of the guilt of taking care of you.

You have to nourish yourself if you want to flourish… and I think we all want to flourish.Woman closing her eyes with her hair in her face

I hope after a month of being intentional about self care, you’ll of created healthy habits to make yourself a priority and you’ll make a few of these practices daily routines so you are taking better care of yourself, so you can take better care of others.

Here are 10 ideas to practice self care this month.  Practice self care alone, and if your phone is a distraction, leave it in another room.  To get my complete list, complete the form at the bottom of this post for 40 Ways to Practice Self Care.

  1. Read (Here is a list of my favorite books)
  2. Paint your nails
  3. Start a devotional (I love this one)
  4. Walk outside
  5. Meditate
  6. Journal
  7. Adult Coloring Book
  8. Sew
  9. Take a bath
  10. Do your favorite exercise

Trees and a mug with plants and a candle

In the month of February we are always hearing about love.  My hope is that I can encourage you to love yourself more, so you can love others in the process.

Take care of you.

Do things you enjoy.

Stop filling your plate so full you can’t take the time to enjoy things that make you happy.  We all deserve happiness and love, and when we start being intentional about creating it, we naturally become happier in the process.

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4 Comments

  1. Amy – I’ve been following your journey on Instagram and just landed on your site. Love it all. I love this post because I do what I can to live intentionally and practice self love – but only because I have had to work at it! I relate to your journey (also on WW) and will be a loyal reader moving forward. Erin xo @collecting_daisies)

  2. I’m not a mom but I definitely relate to your post ! Life can get SO crazy at times and I always look for permission to give myself a moment to myself. It’s like I feel like I have to EARN my self-love – which is ridiculous. I’ve switched my mindset to the understanding that self-love is a lifelong journey and commitment.

    Thanks for sharing all your tips! Loved them all.

    1. Thanks so much, Bree! Self care is hard for all of us! I totally know what you mean by “earning” self love, I think that’s a normal feeling for women, sadly

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