When it comes to looking after myself I am my own best friend and also my own enemy. Some days and weeks I am on top of things and drive myself insane to make sure I tick all the boxes on my self-care list and some weeks I forget about it all together. Naturally, I don’t forget about it intentionally. Some days tiredness takes over, some days I am just very busy (aren’t we all -life is just non-stop, right?!) and some days I simply cannot be bothered! So bad, I know. But somehow, I feel I am not alone in this ever challenging dilemma of how to look after myself better!
As with everything, the key is consistency, and we all know that. But who has got the time to do it all, do it well and do it regularly? And most importantly, when I don’t manage to tick all the boxes on the list I also feel like I’ve failed, which only makes the situation worse!
When my baby boy was born, the time allocated to self-care disappeared altogether. But a few months of not looking after myself well I realised that the key is not about trying to do it all, it is about doing the most important things but doing them well! I know I am not describing anything majorly new here, but for me somehow it was a discovery.
From that day on I created a new rule. I focused on creating one good habit per month and once I’ve nailed that one, I would then move on and add something else to my routine the following month. This felt like one positive snowball and I was just adding small things around my busy routine and slowly all these things have become second nature. Obviously I am still working on it, and adding things on but what a great start it was!
First habit I’ve created was quite simple but it had become an unbreakable rule – hot lemon water (I do add a little bit of honey in mine) before any other drinks or food first thing in the morning. Just to add hydration to your body, provide a little dose of Vitamin C, good for the digestive system – the list of benefits go on! This was a real game changer, and this habit is here to stay. Even when we go away and stay in a hotel, I pack a lemon with us!
From then on it was a matter of changing a few things around my existing routine – instead of the usual shower gel I started using body scrub twice a week (what a difference it made, wow), I introduced a few simple stretches when brushing my teeth (yes, it is possible!), 10 minutes of yoga each day (Yoga with Kassandra on you tube is fabulous)…
The biggie was my skincare routine! My skin had changed so much after the pregnancy, and I suffered with pigmentation and rosacea. So after a professional consultation I started to use medically graded skincare but this was quite a shock as each routine, morning and evening, consisted of 4 or 5 steps! At the beginning I had to write down the steps as my routine beforehand was very very simplistic. Then I started to pay attention to my skin changes, which motivated me and now I prioritise this as a little bit of me-time each morning and evening.
There are still some habits that I would like to crack – dry brushing on a daily basis, generally drinking more water, learn to meditate and do it well, listening to podcasts (I love, love, love a good podcast!), dedicating a little bit more time to my exercise routine and many, many others.
But I am a mum to a one-year old, I have a full time job, I have my very own little venture in La Belle Unlimited, I have family and life. So I am trying my best and the best thing that I can do is be kind to myself and just strive to do better, each day and each month. I am making small steps and I am proud, hope you are too and I hope this helps you in some way!
Until next time!