Self-care is the ultimate act of love for yourself and means prioritising your own needs, not just when you have time, but each and every day. A while back I was chatting with my dear friend, Mandy House, a Beauty Consultant and mother of two girls. We were discussing mum life and she shared how she practises mummy self-care every day despite her super busy schedule. She had some lovely ideas which I've share below that I hope inspires you too.
When Mandy and I got chatting about motherhood, self-care topped the list of conversational topics. This is something I am always curious to ask the women in my life, those I meet in my clinic, and when I'm out and about. Mandy told me, the self-care routine she's adopted has been the best decision she ever made after she became a mother.
Especially in the last year, Mandy told me she has been actively fitting self-care into her life and making herself a priority for once. Some of Mandy's wellness routine was super simple. She was willing to share it with me in the hopes it inspire other women and mothers to start taking better care of themselves with the same unconditional love they do their families. Even if the effort is small, it makes such a difference!
Its OK To Show Off The Best Of You
Many women lose themselves during motherhood and middle age. They can feel guilty, vain or selfish if they make too much of a fuss over themselves. They are fiercely dedicated to their family and children, and oftentimes that comes at the sacrifice of themselves.
"Part of self-care for me includes putting time and energy into my appearance. This isn’t about vanity or being superficial, it’s about honouring the body, hair and skin you have. By doing this, you come to understand that putting energy into the way you look helps you interact with people with more confidence. It gives you a healthy sense of pride, and it shows the world that you not only respect yourself, but you also deserve respect from others." Mandy shared with me.
Some wise words. As a mother, you deserve to focus time on yourself, take pride in how you show up and yes, add a subtle dab of makeup, not for vanity, but to give yourself that little self-confidence boost. Practising a little pampering each day is something you can do easily and has many health benefits, not just improving your skin and appearance, but for your mental state as well.
SELF-CARE TIP: do you makeup and hair, not for anyone else, but for yourself to boost your confidence and mood. Try a fresh, new colour of lipstick or gloss. Use a funky headband and give yourself a whole new look. Get a spray tan, or better yet, try a plantbased self-tanner like my favourite from PureTan. All natural and no yuckies.
Skin Care Is My Jam
Turn your skincare routine into an act of self-care. That's what mum of two, Mandy has done. Looking after your skin is the prefect way to kick start a new self-care routine, or start one if you don't already have one in place. Most of us are already doing something beauty related in the mornings, even if its just a shower, making a messy mum bun and cleaning our teeth. We can easily spare an additional 2-5 minutes to give back to ourselves before we go get lost in the daily chaos that is motherhood.
"You don't really need to go the the spa to get a treatment in,' Mandy explains. "My LumiSpa, a skin polishing device by NuSkin gives me a nourishing, all-over facial massage at home. It only takes me a few minutes, cleansing and exfoliating my skin to give me youthful glow. A spa treatment would cost hundreds which I cannot justify, so I enjoy one at home as often as I like. Its something relaxing I do for myself daily, and best of all, I can fit in around the busy morning rush to school drop offs."
A mini spa at home, I absolutely love this example of mummy self-care. Whatever your beauty routine is each morning, it's a fantastic opportunity to sneak in a little "me time" even if its just a quick beauty treatment like a mini facial. This will help you feel more refreshed, especially if you have had little sleep, and can go a long way in turning around a cranky start to the day.
Self-Care Includes Healthy Habits
As a Health Practitioner, I am mega huge on this one. I believe maintaining a healthy diet of wholefoods is one of the most basics forms of self-care there is. When we to eat whatever is being served, grab takeaway or eat out of convenience, its an early warning sign you are stressed out and need to start practicing some self-care. Pair this with physical activity and you've got a recipe for happiness.
Mandy told me she's really started focusing on eating better and understanding her body. She joined an 8 Week Fitness Challenge, and said it was a complete game changer. Working out made her feel happier and stronger than she had been in a while. She's loving it.
So, how can you fit some more fitness in your day? You don't need a gym membership to practice physical self-care to start working on your fitness, just start walking more. Get outside and bounce with the kids on the trampoline, play tiggy or hide and seek. Browse my monthly Fitness Calendars for a free workout for every level of fitness, or look up home workouts on YouTube, there are literally thousands of beginner workouts on there.
Social Self-Care
No many people think of this but, social self-care is just as important as caring for your body and mental wellness. Participating in activities that nurture and deepens the relationships with people in your life can make you feel more alive, happier and healthier. Mandy aces this one and says she enjoys coffee dates with friends, but you could also choose to volunteer your time to community, take part in classes, workshops or retreats. You don't even need to leave the house for this one, you can be social from your lounge room these days by joining Facebook groups (check out mine), special interest forums and communities.
Home Baked Self-Care
"Baking is a self-care for me. I love to bake, it makes me happy. I relax and its like a time out for me." Mandy is on to something. There are many ways to practise self-care, even cooking and baking. Making your own food is both rather relaxing, and a fun activity to involve the with kids if they are younger. Home baking is also a way to love your body by meal prepping and cooking homemade, whole food meals and goodies. You can easily control the ingredients, limit the sugar, and make healthy swaps for some of your family's favourite "junk foods".
Music To Set The Mood
In many studies, it has been proven that listening to music has an impact on your brain function, mood and behaviour. A relaxing piece of music can help reduce your stress, pain and even symptoms of depression, Depending on the type of music chosen, listening can also improve your cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis. All pretty powerful reasons to sit back with a catchy tune or meditative track.
As a busy mum, Mandy shared with me that she too enjoys music as part of her self-care routine. "I love being in the car on my own, and just listening to music with no other distractions."
Saturday Self-Care Spa Night
Pamper yourself, or invite a few girlfriends over for a self-care spa night. Its a great chance to share beauty and self-care tips with each other, do facials, pedicures and pamper yourselves for free. I know my friend Mandy is a big fan of doing facial massage at home and enjoys a facial mask. "Yin & Yang Mask is so refreshing and smells divine. It's nice to do on a Friday or Sunday night to unwind."
You can also make your own facial mask out of any number of wholesome pantry goods. A super simple mask can be made from combining an egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of organic, raw honey, a drop or two of essentials oils, a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut with half a cup of oatmeal. Stir well, then apply it to your face for 15-20 minutes. It'll leave your skin dewy soft.
Another DIY facial favourite of mine is 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1/4 of a ripe avocado plus 2 drops of ECO. Essentials lavender oil. It smells incredible. Or try this, 1 tablespoon of natural, plain yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of raw honey, 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder.
Ingredients such as dairy-based yoghurt provides a gentle exfoliation on par with many top end skincare products. Raw, organic honey is a natural antiseptic, and plantbased topical treatment for killing spot-causing bacteria and acne. You can even try adding in a tsp of raw cacao powder (raw chocolate) for an all natural, goddess-like glow.
Start Your Self-Care Routine
If you don't already have a self-care plan, I hope my friend Mandy and I have given you some easy inspiring ideas on how to get started. Give some of the activities we just shared a go and take note of how you feel as you put yourself first for once.
If this is very new to you, you may notice many emotions or excuses arise as you carve out a little "me-time". This is perfectly normal at the start and an indicator some work needs to be done on your self-worth.
You have needs too, and they matter just as much as your husband's, your children's and your loved ones. So, go on, take 5-minutes and listen to a mediation, podcast, go for a quick walk, play outside with kids or do like Mandy does, give yourself a LumiSpa treatment in the bathroom and feel like a million bucks.
Health + happiness,
Emma xox
Guest Beauty Blogger
Mandy House, or Meldie as her friends and family call her, is a Brisbane Mum of 2 girls (4 and 6). She's as Beauty Consultant who quit the corporate scene 2 years ago to spend more time with her daughters. She's a a fierce advocate for healthy, happy living for mums and practicing self-care. Flexibility and freedom working from home as a mum, love skincare and beauty looking after my skin and health as I got older was important to me.
Mandy House, is a Beauty Consultant with Nu Skin Pacific, a premier anti-aging company, evidenced in its innovative ageLOC™ products. This is where you can share your business bio and what makes your business products so special and unique. This is where you can share your business bio and what makes your business products so special and unique. Under the write up is space for a few signature products mentioned in the article above. Each one is linked to your product website.
Healthy + happiness,
Emma Lisa xx
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