When was the last time you had “me-time” and how did you spend that time?
I actually have a girls weekend away planned in a couple weeks! My husband travels a lot for work and this year he has more overseas trips booked than usual….so it was my hubby that actually suggested that I book a weekend away for some me time! So I booked a hotel (only 1 hr away to make it easy), both my sister and sister-in-law will be joining me for a relaxing weekend doing nothing! We plan on sleeping in, reading by the pool and going to the beach….we might even squeeze in a massage too! I have never done anything like this since having children, so this will be my first weekend away from my family in over 4 years!
What are some of your favourite ways to practice self care?
*Self care for my soul: self care to me is recharging my soul and clearing my head space.
I am a creative person and I need to be constantly using my hands in a creative way to keep my soul happy and at peace. So I try and do something creative every day as a way of care for my creative self. I love to macrame, sew, press flowers etc. My eldest daughter is at the age where she loves doing crafts so we spend most days doing crafts together which makes my heart sing! I also love pottering around the house, moving homewares around and changing up the spaces around me. I am a homebody so I love having the space around me visually appealing. I also believe in smudging my home and body when I feel the urge to, using a palo santo stick and essential oils is a great way to cleanse my body and space.
*Self care for my body- to thank my body for the day I practice self care every night….once the girls are asleep I love to do some slow stretches followed by breathing/mediating exercises. I love ending my day slowly and mindfully…and of course finishing every night with a warm lunar latte and a big piece of dark chocolate!
Another body self care practice I love to do is rolling an organic face elixir oil on my face using a rose quartz facial roller. Its an amazing way to release any tension and helps rejuvenate your skin!
What advice would you give to mamas struggling to create “me-time”? How do you make time in your schedule for yourself?
My advice is to know what you as an individual specifically needs to be happy. That means understanding your body/soul and learning how to recharge it. Often as a Mumma we feel guilty taking time for ourselves, but self love is just as important as love for your family. Everyone around you will feel the benefits when you are fully happy within yourself.
I am a typical pisces …so I’m introverted and need ‘me time’ to recharge my soul. I have learnt this from a young age; so I know when if I am feeling overwhelmed or run down, that I need to give myself some ‘me time’. So if that means missing a social event to stay home, not answering your phone or simply doing something I love to do for myself….I make sure I take some time out to care for my soul.
I make time for myself at night. I am a night owl, so when everyone in my house is asleep I stay up late and it is during this time that I focus on myself. During the day I always have at least one of my kids with me, but I have learnt how to recharge myself even with my girls with me. We are all nature lovers and get recharged by her beauty, so every day I go outside and explore our surrounding environments with my girls. During this time in nature, I feel like we are all making time for ourselves. The beach is our happy place so we make sure we go there once a day, we don’t take any toys for the girls, rather we explore our surroundings and switch into mother nature. We also love going for barefoot bush walks and collecting nature treasures which we then repurpose in our craft activities. Walking barefoot on mother earth is the best way to ground yourself and recharge. This practice of earthing , transfers the earths electrons from the ground to the body and has so many benefits for our body and soul.
I have also learnt that by doing all my house chores/admin at night, allows me to fully embrace the day and frees up some me time. When my youngest is napping I spend my time with my eldest in our backyard. We never take any toys outside, rather we choose to do crafts together, or gardening or just simply lay outside reading a book or staring at the clouds. I am a sun worshiper , so I definitely get recharged by her light!
My husband knows that I need ‘me time’ to recharge so on the weekends he always takes the girls for a walk to get coffee in the morning , so I can just be at home by myself.