3 Tips for Balancing Out Parenting and Self Care

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Practicing self-care as a parent is something that feels a little too far out of reach at times. Being a parent, no matter if you’re a mother or father is really just an incredibly tough job. It’s a job that you’re constantly doing around the clock and there aren’t any breaks or timeouts like a normal job may have. Regardless, parenthood is simply a beautiful experience that reminds you of how far you’ve come with your little one. While we’re taking care of our children, we can’t neglect ourselves either.

Parents tend to constantly put their children or others before themselves. This can be good, it shows your dedication, but it does mean that sacrifices are made such as sleep and even a decline in health. It’s important to focus on self-care habits as these affect the mind, body, and soul. Here are some ways to help change your mindset so you can begin focusing on your little ones and on yourself too.

Do not guilt yourself for your needs

Parents tend to guilt themselves for not putting in enough time and energy doing other things. Self-care tackles mental health and it can be a way to help improve your mentality as well. You need to first start with yourself and understand that you’re not a bad person for wanting to have time to yourself.

You’re not a bad parent for wanting to take care of yourself and tend to your needs. If you want to tend to others’ needs, such as your children, you need to focus on yourself so you can properly be there to help the ones you love. So first begin getting it into your head that you need breaks, you deserve breaks, and you have to take care of yourself.

Know that your sleep matters

Parents and lack of sleep go hand in hand, it’s the dark truth, but it’s something that eventually gets accepted. You may have even seen some funny memes online about the lack of sleep that parents get. While it may be one of the facts in life, it’s important to know that your sleep matters and you have to try and get it.

You can look into getting a Moses Basket for your baby and have it right next to you at bedtime, this way you can immediately tend to your baby in your room and get back to sleep. Alternatively, you can talk with your partner about taking shifts and days in balancing out who will tend to the kids and who’ll sleep.

Think of the little ways to get yourself feeling good

There are plenty of ways to help your soul feel good such as eating your favorite sweets, getting yourself a little gift you’ve had on your wish list, but you should think about the things that will make you feel physically good as well. This includes eating healthy meals that will nourish your body. A healthy meal is going to drastically help in giving you more energy and making you feel physically better. The same can be said with regular exercising, even just doing a bit of movement each day such as walking can do wonders to how you’ll feel. 

Self-Care Suggestions After A Personal Injury

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Recovering from an injury can be difficult. Regaining one’s health can take a long time, causing several physical and mental challenges for many people. While some people can fully recover from injuries in a matter of weeks or months, others are left with long-term concerns, including mobility difficulty, attention issues, or chronic pain that may change a lot about their daily activities. Even those who fully recover their physical health after an accident are frequently left with severe emotional and mental scars such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The rehabilitation process differs for everyone, but people can use a few basic methods to heal and cope with their trauma, such as self-care practices. Here are some self-care ideas you can implement in your routine to help you overcome and deal with the effects of personal injury.

Financial recuperation 

Physical recovery is critical, but so is a financial recovery. While dealing with or overcoming your personal injury, you would incur various expenses such as surgeries, counselling, in-home care, and other health-related expenses. Some of the injuries incurred may prevent you from working and cause you to lose your source of income. All this can have a strain on your wellbeing. Therefore, looking for financial recovery is an effective form of self-care. 

You can do so by looking at alternative ways of making money. Online options such as creating a blog or vlog documenting your recovery journey or taking advantage of remote working opportunities is a great way to make some money. If the injuries you endured are due to the negligence of your workplace, it is vital that you also seek the necessary compensation. Although this may be challenging, you would be able to gain some financial freedom and much-needed peace of mind. You can hire professional legal services providers to take you through the necessary legal processes to make your claim, offer sound advice, and handle any legal issues along the way.

Consult a physician 

Another self-care practice you should consider after your injury is to seek medical attention regularly. Although this may seem obvious, many people leave incidents with injuries they don’t know about, such as herniated discs, traumatic brain injuries, or ligament damage in their knees or shoulders which would only be detected after a medical examination. Some people are also reluctant to see a health professional because they are sceptical or do not want to incur health bills. At the same time, others do not go to their scheduled follow up appointments. All these practices do more harm than good. Take care of yourself by getting the medical attention you need.

Make sure you get enough sleep

Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep per night to stay healthy. If you’ve had a severe illness or injury, your body may require more rest than usual. The effective functioning of numerous essential healing processes necessitates sleep. Sleep deprivation makes it difficult for muscles to repair after an injury. When it comes to recovery, getting enough rest is crucial, but injuries can make sleeping difficult. As a result of their injuries, many patients have difficulty sleeping. Others cannot sleep because they are concerned about their health or fearful of the traumatic event that caused their injuries. To remedy these issues, it’s sometimes as simple as drinking less coffee or sticking to a regular sleep pattern. Some folks, on the other hand, require medication to get enough sleep. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep aids, especially over-the-counter medications, to see if they interfere with your recovery.

Healthy dieting 

Keeping your body healthy with the right nutrients you require for overall health while recovering is critical. This means that while you are recovering, you should be more careful of what you consume. Besides watching what you eat, you should also consider developing healthy eating habits and meal plans. 

Remember that these suggestions are only a starting point; you should get specific guidance from your doctor on optimising your diet. People suffering from injuries should eat adequate protein, Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, and Calcium and eat general health. It’s also crucial for persons using painkillers to eat a lot of fibre-rich meals. This may assist in alleviating constipation that these medications are known to produce. Finally, keep in mind that a lot of individuals say that some foods have healing properties. Make sure you only listen to medical advice and are familiar with the food-based health claims assessment process.

Looking After Your Outward Appearance Can Boost Your Mental Health; Here’s How

When struggling with our mental health, the way we look on the outside is often the least of our worries. And understandably so. But taking the time to look after the way we look can help boost our mental health.

It’s all about that buzzword; self-care. And practicing self-care can take time, partly because having ‘you’ time can feel selfish. But we all need to be selfish sometimes. Because looking after ourselves means we can be more present in our other relationships. 

Setting aside some time to pamper yourself will give you a plethora of mental health benefits. Here are just a few to get your teeth stuck into. 

Image by Madison Inouye via Pexels

A Self-Care Routine Provides Stability

Having a routine is essential to all of us. And over the coronavirus pandemic, many of us lost those routines which can be integral to our mental health. Loss of routine feels like a loss of control. Like you’re adrift in the open sea. 

Making self-care a part of your daily routine acts as a grounding force. They’re stabilising and comforting. An anchor for you when you feel all at sea. 

Certain times of the day or outside occurrences can trigger intrusive thoughts, which lead to cycles of worry. But you can break these cycles with a little bit of self-care. Doing something nice for yourself, like a skincare routine or a long bath, helps you focus on those simple activities. It breaks the cycle because you’re engaged in an activity rather than being in your head. 

It Helps You Get Out Of Worry Cycles

And little self-care routines enable us to practice a little bit of mindfulness. The act of being mindful lets us think about sensations we’re experiencing without passing judgement. And this can help our mental health in the long run as we learn to be less judgemental of our emotions or thoughts. 

Mood-Boosting Chemicals Are Triggered

Regularly caring for yourself in a way that feels good will start to change how you think. You’ll look forward to looking after yourself. And then, doing the activity will help release lovely endorphins to boost your overall mood. Because looking after yourself feels good. 

And if you have another health problem that can be helped by a long bath or other act of self-kindness, then you’ll continue to reap the rewards. Your body will improve, and your mind along with it as the outside trigger is reduced. 

It’s An Act Of Kindness To Yourself

The world can be stressful. And it can feel easier to watch TV until the early hours of the morning rather than take care of yourself. But taking just 5 minutes to look after your outward appearance sends a really powerful message to your mind. You’re telling yourself that you’re worth it. You’re worth those 5 minutes of skincare or those 10 extra minutes lounging in the bad with a good book. 

Taking care of the way you look is an act of kindness. And we all deserve more of those in our daily lives. 

Looking After Yourself Improves Your Confidence

It’s the most obvious benefit to taking a few extra minutes to do your hair or slather on a bit of moisturiser each day. Looking after yourself will boost your confidence. You’ll start to love how you look, and that love will translate into a brilliant boost for your mental health. 

When we feel confident in ourselves, we feel like we can tackle anything. And we can do it being authentically ourselves. The more that you are unapologetically you, the more confident you’ll get. But if improving your confidence means visiting Dr Jason Roth to correct a deviated septum or improve the way your nose looks – then that’s ok too. Because you get to decide what self-care and looking after your appearance means to you. 

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Wrapping Up

Improving your outward appearance or taking extra time on the way you look doesn’t make you shallow. You are allowed to look after yourself. And now you can see that it brings lots of mental health benefits with it too. 

Remember that your mental health journey can be a long and ever-changing road. Being kind to yourself helps build a solid foundation of self-love. And loving yourself will help you see that you can take on anything. No matter how difficult it is. 

Relaxing With Olverum Bath Oil

I’ve been relaxing with Olverum bath oil this week. Olverum Bath Oil is an effective way to relieve stress naturally and achieve a great night’s sleep. Obviously, I jumped at the chance to review a sample of this unique, highly concentrated, therapeutic bath oil.

Travel set- Olverum Bath Oils

Olverum contains 10 pure essential oils, carefully blended to work synergistically, giving you a relaxing bath oil. Winner of Tatler Beauty awards 2018 ‘Best Bath Oil’, Olverum great for easing aching or sore muscles. It’s also a perfect soothing antidote for a cold or flu with a gorgeously aromatic unisex scent. As my long-term readers will know, I suffer from chronic pain & muscle spasms and anything natural that may help, I’ll happily give a try!

Described as ‘bath nirvana’ by The Sunday Times Style Magazine it seemed an opportunity not to be missed. Olverum survived by word of mouth for many years, a product known in the UK only to a small number of passionate devotees. Beautifully re-packaged, yet retaining the same loved formulation used for over eight decades, Olverum recently relaunched under new British ownership.

Olverum Bath Oil Travel Set £19

Availability & Stockists

Olverum is available in various sizes and stocked at Liberty, Conran, Harvey Nichols and Fenwick. The 125ml bath oil is £29.00 which is enough for 25 baths. The 250ml is £53, enough for 50 baths. This bath oil is also available as a travel set for £19, enough for 9 baths.

Relaxing With Olverum Bath Oils

Relaxing With Olverum Bath Oil

Having heard all the positive talk about Olverum I couldn’t wait to get the girls to bed and run myself a bath. The start of the Summer holidays has been pretty busy and I could definitely use some time relaxing in the bath. I ran a warm bath with 5ml of Olverum bath oil and the aroma instantly filled the room! It smells gorgeous and feels amazing on your skin. I relaxed for a full 15minutes, something I very rarely do. My skin flares up in the heat but the added oil seemed to really help and left my skin feeling soft and hydrated.

I’m looking forward to my next bath using Olverum bath oil, it really leaves you feeling relaxed and rested. If you are looking for something to help you relax or a treat to pamper yourself with I definitely recommend Olverum.

Have you heard of Olverum before?

Self Care Gift Ideas And 5 Self Care Tips

Self care is something I have been saying I will put more effort into for ages now. Bit by bit I am learning to take care of myself a little bit more. It is hard as I am not used to it but I am making some time for me to relax.

 

Self Care Gift Ideas & 5 Self Care Tips

I have collaborated with a few lovely companies who focus on self care products. These are designed to help those of us who really need to put ourselves first. Self care helps us prevent a major crash and is so important for our minds and bodies. Perhaps you are looking at things to help you with your own self care or know a friend who could do with a little self care? These products and tips may help!

Self Care Notebook

Self Care Notebook Designed By Claire Sheehan

Claire Sheehan is an Artist from very close by in Southend-on-Sea who sells a beautiful range of products on Etsy designed to ‘soothe and feed the soul’. Self care is something that is easily forgotten when there is just so much to do, it can be hard to put yourself first.  Claire has designed this lovely A5 Self care notebook in grey, pink and white to help those focusing on self care.

This notebook is perfect for jotting down notes and reminders to help you plan your self-care. The notebook contains 48 blank pages of 80gsm recycled white paper for you to draw, doodle or write your plans. Available on Etsy for £5.50 plus shipping this notebook is a great treat for yourself or gift for someone who needs a little extra self-care inspiration. As you can see I have started putting mine to use already!

Self Care Notebook & Mantra's

Motivational Prints & Mantras

Claire also designed some fantastic motivational prints including the ‘I am strong and calm’ A6 mini print. This print is available on it’s own for £2.50 plus shipping or part of a pack of 5 mini prints for £10 plus shipping. Sometimes simple reminders like this can really help us feel a bit better about ourselves. Repeating them to ourselves or even just spotting them regularly help lift our mood and fill us with positivity.

Calming Scents

Help me have a mindful of calm spray from Help Me Organics

Help me Organics have an amazing range of organic products designed to help us relax. Everyone loves a gorgeous scent, it can really lift your mood. This is why Help Me Organics have created this fantastic ‘Help me have a mindful of calm’ range. This room spray is 40ml for £7.50. The scent was designed with a blend of essential oils to bring comfort to those who struggle with anxiety. They have combined Frankincense, geranium bourbon and lavender to work in conjunction with Mindful breathing techniques. Spraying 2-3 bursts in a room will help calm your mood and gently relax you. Help Me Organics also have massage oils and candles available in the Help me have a mindful of calm range. They also have several other ranges. I would definitely recommend browsing their site as they have some fantastic products!

5 Self Care Tips

It is so easy at times to forget about ourselves and worry about everyone else. Taking time out for yourself can make such a difference to your mood though. Those of us with anxiety and depression can really struggle to feel we are worth the time and effort. We know everyone deserves love and kindness but we often forget ourselves.

Be still

Do you find yourself constantly rushing around trying to finish all the never-ending jobs? STOP. Take a break, go for a walk in a beautiful park or along the river. Stop and simply enjoy your surroundings and the silence or sounds of nature. Take deep breaths and just be. I have to admit I underestimated the effects of this and am learning to do this more often.

Find an activity you enjoy

Especially as a parent I found I quickly gave up most things I used to enjoy to dedicate my time to my girls. Having a hobby/activity you enjoy and gives you a little you time is so important for self care. It really doesn’t matter what it is but spending even 20 minutes doing something you enjoy can change your entire day. I love to crochet and colour and have started picking up craft bits I have been wanting for years so I can do something for me. When you finish an activity for yourself it feels like a brilliant achievement. Even meeting up with a friend for a coffee counts!

Say ‘No’

Saying yes constantly leads to burn out. Remember we can’t please everyone. It’s ok to say ‘ No’ and put your health and well-being first. You are a priority, if you don’t take care of yourself how can you care for others? This is something I still struggle with daily BUT I have learnt to say No when it really matters and I have seen the difference it makes. Don’t feel guilty, we all matter! I love the saying ‘ You can’t pour from an empty cup, take care of yourself first’.

Pamper yourself

I struggle badly with this one but it is so important to pamper yourself and feel good. Make time for that bath, light some candles, relax in the bubbles. Washing my hair is something I regularly put off as it literally takes hours to wash dry and straighten but when I make time for it I feel awesome afterwards. Visit a spa or invite a friend over for a pamper evening for a real boost!

Make notes

If like me you tend to forget about yourself then make notes, leave them where you are most likely to see them or in a notebook. Not only can jotting down reminders help but writing about our feelings can help us process our emotions too. The self care notebook is fantastic for this. Reading back through our writing can sometimes help us see solutions to our problems.

If you or a friend are lacking when it comes to self care then I help these products and tips are helpful!