Today we are welcoming a fellow Frump Fighter, Talitha, as she shares with us some of her freeing insights about self-care!
It’s so important to take care of ourselves so we can take the best care of our families.
I hope you enjoy Talitha’s insights!
Talitha Wagenbach is, above all, a follower of Jesus Christ. She lives in Iowa with her best friend and husband, Joel. They have three beautiful children. Her days are spent doing what she loves most—being a homemaker! She is an entrepreneur that would much rather have run a General Store on the prairie in the 1800s, but has had to reconcile herself to the 21st century business of social media.
You can find and follow Talitha on her Facebook page! www.facebook.com/talitha.wagenbach
SELF-CARE.
Until recently, I’ve always equated that term with SELF-ISH. Just hearing someone mention it annoyed me. What changed me? Motherhood!!
(Disclaimer: Though I’ve learned so much from blogs like Frump Fighters, I’m still probably the least qualified person to write on the subject. As I write this, my nails have needed attention for two weeks. Yes, three days ago I stopped and took the time to groom my boys’ nails before going out, but mine go on looking horrendous! But still, I am compelled to write on a subject I’m continuing to learn to put into practice. And here’s why. I have seen an alarming, and very sad, trend. So many women suffer with depression and anxiety. My heart breaks because my youngest sister also dealt with severe depression, almost to the point of suicide, and she thought there was no way out. This was my sister who had always been so stable, a rock to those around her; and now she couldn’t even think clearly enough to know that her children would NOT be better off without her! It totally changed my perspective on mental health. Many women think that depression is just part of life. But I am happy to tell you that research shows otherwise!)
To continue… Being a mom is hard. My first baby was almost a year old before I finally admitted that maybe I was wrong.
It was hard to swallow my pride and start seeking the truth about this whole “self-care bit” I’d always despised. But necessity forced me, and so I started my journey to find out what it was really all about.
In my search I came across a quote by the great educator, Charlotte Mason. She wrote, “If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for their children, we would have happier households.” This is the true essence of self-care!
To realize that my family is happier and better off when I take care of myself was a totally freeing concept.
Taking Care of Yourself Is Taking Care of Your Family
So, what DO we do for our children?
We want to give them experiences to learn and grow; we want to let them play in a safe environment; and we want to do all we can to see them healthy, thriving and emotionally stable.
Therefore, we need to do those same things for ourselves.
The things we mothers choose to learn will look different for every woman based upon her interests; and the hobbies we choose to “play” at, and communities we choose to be a part of, will not be the same for everyone.
But every woman NEEDS the healthiest body she can obtain to do the best she can for her family! And that’s what I want to share with you today.
Going back to the start of my journey… one day I realized I needed help with my appearance as a mother.
I googled “cute mom outfits” and came across Frump Fighters. I took Corina’s free 3-day course, and that freed me to realize that it was a godly—not selfish—ambition to look beautiful!
But, as many mothers know, it is hard to look pretty and fresh, or even have the desire to, when you only got 4 hours of interrupted sleep the night before!
I can tell you, I get it—my first 18 months with my last baby was ROUGH!! But what I’ve learned is that health MUST be a priority!!
I’m still learning, but I want to share with you a few things I’ve discovered along the way that can make a total difference in not only our energy to get dressed in the morning, but can improve our mood throughout our entire days.
So what to do when the mom life doesn’t allow the luxury of all the things we know would help our health and mindset? I would say that the answer is the same as learning how to look put together with limited time and/or resources:
Prioritize and simplify!
True health is balanced body systems. For most women, this balance will take time and effort; and we have to prioritize it if we want to obtain or maintain good health. Let’s look at a few simple things that will, with consistency, totally change your life!
Self-Care Tip #1: Sleep
First, the foundation of good health is sleep! No amount of anything else can take the place of it.
If it’s a measly four hours because you’re up all night with a colicky baby, or you’re lucky enough to get a solid eight-hour night, make sure what you do get is quality!
Four hours of quality sleep can get you further than eight hours of bad sleep! (I now know the secret for me!)
Self-Care Tip #2: Water
Secondly, THE easiest thing you can do to boost your health is to drink water, and lots of it. Remember?!
Prioritize it, then simplify it!
How you choose to do that will be based on your lifestyle and daily rhythm.
Self-Care Tip #3: Core
Third, get a strong core! This doesn’t necessarily mean being at the gym 10 hours a week. As little as 15 minutes a day can give you the core strength you need to eliminate back pain and give you energy.
Also, you need to move daily.
A bike ride, a ten-minute walk, putting away groceries, gardening, playing with your children…something that gets your blood moving will invigorate you!
Self-Care Tip #4: Pamper
Next, take care to do things you love and that make you feel pampered.
Whether it is relaxing for 20 minutes while you listen to a podcast and sip coffee, sitting down for a half hour with a good book, calling your sister, or putting on makeup and curling your hair, these things are part of maintaining good overall health, especially mental well-being!
It doesn’t need to be an all-day thing at the spa once a week. Though that sounds heavenly, it’s just not practical (or simple enough) for most mothers.
Self-Care Tip #5: Supplement
And lastly, support your body. After drinking water, it is the easiest thing to incorporate into your routine. I have found that supporting my body with supplements has made a huge difference in how I feel!
You know how I mentioned that I’d found the secret to good sleep? Well, this is it!
Proper and quality supplements not only feed your brain so that you can sleep well, but they can address so many other issues! Headaches, constipation, leaky gut, hormonal imbalances, ADHD, joint pain, and yes, even depression!
My sister could not take the lead overcoat of depression off until her body and brain got the nutrients it needed to think rightly and be free. Once she started supporting her gut, brain and body daily with quality supplements, she was able to step out from under the cloud of darkness into the light of the truth that her husband and children truly did need her. And they needed her at her best!
This truth rings true for you, and all of us, today!
You are valuable, you are loved and your family needs you at your very best! To care for yourself IS to care for those you love!
Which one of these self-care activities can you start prioritizing as of right now?
Click here to leave your response.
How does a busy mom get to any of these things she needs for herself when everyone else’s needs are clamoring louder?
Our Self-Care Planner & Workshop will lay out the easy strategy you can use to create a DOABLE and REPEATABLE morning self-care routine. Without the overwhelm and brain fatigue. Click below to view this product!
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