self-care: an activity we do in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health
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Today, I’m excited to be joining a few blogging friends to share a bit about self-care. It’s definitely been a buzzword the last couple of years. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really read any of the advice that comes through my feed about self-care. So, I had to look up the definition just to be sure. I’m no expert, but I do a few things that I feel improve my life or at least keep me above water. If you are new here, WELCOME!
Rest – I believe being well-rested is the foundation to a good day. That’s not to say that you can’t have a good day without a night of good sleep, but it helps! I strive for eight hours of sleep each night. I try to limit screen time before bed, but when I do use my phone, I wear these glasses to block the blue light. My optometrist confirmed that the blue screen interferes with our melatonin levels which affects sleep. I also take 500 mg of magnesium before I got to bed – something I’ve been doing for several years. A lot of people don’t realize it, but magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer. The bonus is that you are guaranteed to go to the bathroom in the morning. Win-win. Another thing I do to promote a good sleep is to use lavender essential oil in a diffuser. I start it about 30 minutes before bedtime. Comfort is key when it comes to sleep. We have a memory foam mattress and lately, it’s been too warm. This mattress pad helps!
Nutrition – I try to eat a well-balanced diet most days with a splurge meal every now and then. Most meals are plant-based, but I do eat meat. Each morning I have a large glass of room temperature water with the juice of a whole lemon. I love old fashioned oats for breakfast along with a cup of fresh berries. My aversion to oatmeal was solved when I tried it with pink Himalayan sea salt and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (recommended by a nutritionist). It’s delicious now! For lunch, I’ll have a quinoa bowl or this soup. Depending on whether R is here or not, I’ll cook something for two. You can see my recipes here.
Excercise – Thanks to our sweet pup, Reagan, I walk 3 miles a day most days of the week. Our neighborhood is pretty hilly and we walk at a brisk pace. Unless someone wants to sniff every blade of grass along the way (insert eye-roll). I need to do more strength training and I will…eventually.
Friends – I seriously don’t know what I would do without my friends. It’s easy to lose touch and feel isolated while raising children. Ask me how I know! I’m not complaining at all, it’s just that I put friendships on the back burner when I was raising our boys and often felt alone with no one to turn to. Now, I have close friends who I can call on day or night. They are here for me no matter what and I do the same for them. We talk about everything and it’s better than therapy!
Continued learning – Podcasts, youtube, and books make continued education so accessible. I never want to stop learning and improving myself. I recently read a book, Loving Well in a Broken World. Lauren Casper does an amazing job of opening us up to another’s perspective because often things aren’t what they seem. If only we could all be a little kinder. This is also a good option if you prefer to read a daily message.
Gratitude – Sometimes we get low, it happens. I find it hard to stay low when I think about all that’s good. My family, our health, my friends, our home, the kindness of strangers – there is so much for which to be thankful. When I start each day with a grateful heart it sets the tone for the day.
Routine medical appointments – I cannot stress enough the importance of annual check-ups. Establish a baseline now so that if your health changes in the future you will be able to determine when it changed and react faster. I’m speaking as a friend. My annual check-ups include optometrist, gynecologist, dermatologist, dentist (twice/year), mammogram, and general.
SHOP THE POST
Thanks so much for stopping by! Now, please visit these friends to find out how they “self-care”.
Most Lovely Things
Sheri Silver
Classic Casual Home
Rough Luxe Lifestyle
Patricia van Essche
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Ahhh…I feel renewed like I just went to a spa. Interesting about the sea salt and olive oil on oatmeal…I will have to try it. We have a lot in common…hilly walks with our dogs and lavender mist at night. I’m getting your magnesium. Thanks for doing this with us, Rene.
Mary Ann
Thanks so much, Mary Ann! Too bad we don’t live closer so we could walk our dogs together. Thank you for including me!
Yes…wish we did!
Rene this was such a good post. I am going to give magnesium a try. I am not a workout person. I work in my garden but that is a little lacking in the winter (what little we have). Thank you so much for participating. This was a wonderful post!!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Cindy! I’m also looking forward to gardening, hopefully in another month. Thank you for including me!
Such a great post Rene! I love that you have so many tips and that every single one feels DOABLE. At the end of the day we’re more likely to stick with things that are easy to stick with, right? So nice to “meet” you and look forward to following! 🙂
Thank you, Sheri! Yes, the easier, the better. Nice to meet you, also!
Great post – I enjoyed it very much. All helpful tips from all the ladies… What type of Magnesium do you take – I really want to start, but there are different types (Citrate, Oxide, Chloride, etc. ) Thanks so much !
Thank you, Patricia! I use oxide. There’s a link in the post 🙂
HELLO HELLO!
I wear those glasses too and take MAG!
A LOVELY POST ON SELF CARE……………..sleep has always been important to me!
I’m dealing with a little issue that no one seems to be able to figure out!
SO SELF CARE is about ALL I DO!
XX
Yes, the glasses and magnesium make such a difference! I’m sorry you are having and issue and hope you are able to resolve it soon.
René- This is so beautiful and I feel a little calmer after reading it! You have such a kind and thoughtful way about you that I feel lucky to have “known” you all these years. Someday we will meet in person!
Adding sea salt and olive oil to oatmeal, that is an interesting twist that I will for sure try! Talking and walking with girlfriends is my therapy too…isn’t it the best? We need to talk about essential oils!
xo
annie
Used your link to order the magnesium…thanks!
Although I take magnesium as a supplement I’d never heard of it as a possible ‘sleep aid’. I plan to switch and take mine at night instead of in the morning. Daily learning is definitely self care too! Thank you.