24 self-care practices for mothers
1. Light a candle; breathe it in deeply and deliberately.
2. Read a book, especially one you know fills up your soul, like a conversation with an old friend.
3. Have a conversation with an old friend.
4. Climb into your child’s bed before the day even starts for a few minutes of cuddles. Do you know what even six seconds of physical touch can do for you?
5. Inhale deeply the moment you step outside your house. Notice how the morning air smells instead of rushing through it.
6. Create a touch point in your home or at work, a place where whenever you touch it, you remind yourself to live in the moment. (Think: the doorknob to your bedroom, the threshold of your front door.)
7. Take two minutes to reminisce, either with your kids or on your own, about a fond memory.
“Our dopamine output increases not only when we experience something pleasurable the first time, but again when we remember it. . . . (By reminiscing) we and our children can enjoy more of what we already have.” Goldie Hawn, "10 Mindful Minutes"
8. Write about what you’re grateful for in a journal.
9. Start a daily gratitude practice with your family by sharing at the dinner table one thing you were thankful for that day.
10. Take a hot shower or bath. (That’s right, baby girl. Mama has her own bath!) Make it more special by lighting a candle, using your favorite scents or playing music. #itsthelittlethings
11. Do a negative thought download. (It feels good to get it all out.)
12. Pray.
13. Say a prayer before you turn the keys in the ignition. Pray anytime, obviously, but a friend once told me this particular moment is a natural one for her, and I agree. Maybe it will be for you too.
14. Buy a houseplant. Seeing green inside your space every day is surprisingly revitalizing.
15. Try five minutes of meditation. Newbie? Here are three meditation practices for busy women.
16. Write in your journal. And remember that there’s no formula for journal writing. Jot down a bulleted list, write about your day, write about how you feel, write a single sentence — just write.
“A word after a word after a word is power.” Margaret Atwood
17. Exercise. Extra credit if you get outside or listen to music that makes you love life.
18. Rub lotion into your hands or feet before you go to sleep.
19. Unplug from social media for as long as you need.
20. To be more specific, unplug completely from the Internet one day a week, like Sundays.
21. Hold a warm drink with both hands.
22. Set a weekly intention. Need some mantras to try out? Check here.
23. Schedule some daytime baby-sitting to do something you rarely do, like getting a drink at Starbucks and people-watching from the window or going to the nearest body of water (my pick is the ocean) and sticking your feet in.
24. Take a walk, and spend a couple of minutes focusing on a single sensation, like the wind on your face or the way your foot connects with the ground.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... tml?pg=all