I used to believe self care was selfish. As a recovering people pleaser, and living with a victim mentality, I most definitely was not going to include self care in my life. The closest I got to self care was indulging with a little chocolate every few weeks that I’d hide from my children.
On the brink of burnout and suffering from chronic fatigue, I’ll share more details in a separate post, I had to learn new coping strategies so I could even get out of bed in the morning. Many days I returned to my bed to sleep for the afternoon after tending to my homeschool duties with my children. As I stay at home mum, I would then find some tinsy bit of energy to get dinner started so my family had something wholesome to end the day. To my surprise, incorporating self care is what helped me come out of this debilitating chronic fatigue.
Stay with me here, I am not talking about spending all Saturday at the spa and getting weekly manis and pedis, along with sipping Matcha Lattes, and roaming the newest stores with my girlfriends in search of the latest “must have” accessories.
I’m talking activities that are free or cheap and are so good for your soul, such as:
Walking outside – enjoying nature and fresh air
Journalling – can be as short a few words such as ‘today was a good day’ or ‘I feel so sad’.
Making your favourite herbal tea or good for you drink and sitting in a quiet spot in your house or garden, and savoring every sip without looking at a device.
Taking a bubble bath
Reading a chapter or page of a good book before turning your light out
Meeting a good friend for coffee
Listening to praise and worship music
Taking time to nurture yourself, finding things that bring you joy and refresh you, will give you energy and peace. As a mum, and homeschool mum, we are so busy and have many responsibilities that its easy to forget the importance of looking after ourselves. We have the mouths to feed, the minds to fill, the hearts to cultivate, and the souls to shape.
Once I started taking small steps to replenish my energy and focus on healing my body, my well being gradually improved over time. I gained more energy, my relationships improved and so did my whole outlook on life. I developed a new passion for the future rather than just surviving the next hour. I began to dream again. My hope was restored. I would be honoured to sit with you as you learn to dream again and rediscover what it is to nurture yourself.
If anything I’ve shared has resonated with you, I would love to encourage you to dream again. There is hope, there is so much more goodness ahead for you. You were created to truly live and thrive not just survive. Whatever season you are in, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. If you are ready to take the first step, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message and let’s start the conversation. I’m only an email away.
Warmly,
Nadine
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