Last night I had the house to myself while my husband took my kids to a monster truck show. Rather than sit and stare at Hallmark Christmas movies all night, I forced myself to get up and do something for myself.
First up was a trip to Target, because who doesn’t love a solo trip with no kids in tow to aimlessly wander the entire store? I spent a good hour roaming the isles, and managed to get all of my kids stocking stuffers, plus a new set of comfy lounge wear for myself. I also got my dogs sweaters, which are totally adorable!
Once I got home, I decided it was time for a little pampering. I have an entire Pinterest board focused on taking care of myself, so I took all of the tips and put them together to make a little at home spa night. It has been so long since I took the time to soak in the tub, so I pulled out the bath salts. I ordered a new bath soak from Grove Collaborative called “Tired Old Ass”, made by Little Moon Essentials. It works great on sore muscles, and smells amazing!
I put a mask on my hair for the first time ever (which I highly recommend if you’re like me and never get your hair done), and then put on a clay face mask to help deep clean my face after a few days of forgetting to cleanse properly before bed at night (don’t act like you never forget your nighttime routine because your eyes are barely open after a long day).
Aside from all of the physical pampering, the most important thing I accomplished in my self care routine last night was taking the opportunity to slow down my brain and focus on the present moment. I enjoyed the quiet stillness of my home, and the sensation of the warm water. I focused on my breathing, and let all of the stress drain from my body. I envisioned all of the negative thoughts from the past week going down the drain with the water. All of the yelling at my kids, stress from looming projects at work, the moments from the week that tested my sanity and made me feel like a failure. All being pulled away from me and washed away.
It’s amazing how much better I felt afterwards. I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world.
And if you haven’t tried mantras, I highly recommend trying them out. It may seem silly and make you feel embarrassed at first, but there’s no reason to feel ashamed at practicing positive self talk. So many times throughout the day I notice thinking negative thoughts about myself. Putting on my makeup I think about the lines starting to form around my eyes and mouth. When I get dressed I think about the rolls than hang over the top of my pants. When I eat a piece of candy (that I gave up eating for the #Last90Days), I beat myself up for being a failure.
But I am not a failure, and these things I notice about myself do not define who I am. I have lines forming because I love to laugh. My stomach is a bit squishy because my body brought 3 amazing humans into this world. And who doesn’t deserve a piece of candy every once in a while after a long day?
So now I try to make sure that on top of taking care of myself physically, I am also reminding myself that I am enough as I am. When I focus on my emotional health too, it helps me to feel recharged and remember that it’s ok to have faults and imperfections. I am still loved as I am, and I am better able to focus on my family when I have a clear mind.
It’s About Time 