Self Care Is NOT Optional

Self Care Is NOT Optional | http:www.hannahhepworth.com

Self Care Is NOT Optional

I’ve been so blessed recently to have organized and hosted The Healthy Mom Summit.

Through this massive project I’ve been able to speak with 21 amazing, powerful, knowledgeable women. I’ve spent some time looking back through my notes from all these lovely ladies and feel so inspired and excited to expound more on some of these topics.

Today I wanted to talk about the idea of self care and how important it is to make this a priority.

These days woman worldwide are stretched thin with many responsibilities.  We work, we raise kids, we take care of the home and keep our family fed.

There’s hardly time for any “self care” to happen and most of the time I think many of us feel a little guilty taking time for ourselves.  Women are naturally focused on others and meeting other’s needs.

I’m here to tell you today that you MUST make self care a priority.  If you don’t, you run the risk of running yourself ragged and pretty soon you’ll be spending time nursing yourself back to health. In my opinion it’s a lot easier to support good health and prevent breakdown than to recover, because it can be a LONG journey back to health! (I know from experience)

One thing I recommend doing is to create a list of 15-20 things you enjoy doing. My friend and speaker on The Healthy Mom Summit, Cassandra Herbert, called this a “Joy List.”  I LOVE that name.

Take 10 minutes to reflect and think about what brings you joy.  The activities can be free or they can cost money, whatever works best for you.  It could be taking an epsom salt bath, or reading a good book, sipping warm tea in the evening, exercising in the morning, getting a massage, going to the local juice bar, journaling, sitting in quiet for 10 minutes and breathing in your favorite essential oil, or snuggling your kids in front of a good movie.  Start jotting down at least 15 activities that bring you joy.

Once you’ve made this list, read through it and see which activities feel good to you.  Pick 2 to do each day for a week.  They can be different or the same from day to day.  At the end of the week check in and see how you feel.  What are your stress levels like?  What are your symptoms?  What are your thoughts like?

Remember, by making self care a priority, you are making deposits into your “health account.”  Over time this self love adds up, when you hit a stressful time and you have to make a withdrawal, so to speak, from your “health account,” then you will have some savings in there to pull from.  You won’t be pulling from an already depleted body.

I’m going to guess that at first you might feel a little indulgent doing this. But, let’s look at it this way. When you take care of yourself, you feel better.  You have more energy and you have better health.  You also have MORE to GIVE to the people you love.  You’re doing not only yourself but also your family a great service.  It’s not selfish, in fact it’s necessary.

I challenge you to go write your Joy List right now.  Pick 2 activities and comment below and let me know what you’re going to do this next week to make deposits into your health account.

I’d love for you to schedule a complimentary 10 minute health coaching call! My passion is helping women heal their bodies from stress, anxiety and depression through nutrition, and many lifestyle adjustments.  If you are not already a client then you can take advantage of this one time FREE 15 minute consultation. Click below to reserve your chat!  I can’t wait to help you:)

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To YOUR Health!

Love,

Hannah