Top 5 Self-Care Tips for Step Moms

 

What’s on your priority list?

Take out our journal or a blank piece of paper and jot down your priority list.  What’s on it?  I bet it looks something like this:

1.  Get kids off to school

2. Make sure husband has clean shirt

3. Presentation for work due at 2PM

4. Take Skippy to the vet

5. Take hamburger out for dinner

Look familiar?  I have a list I wrote back in 2002 that looks very similar.  Divorce, breast cancer, and becoming a step mom has changed my priority list.  It’s really not a priority list anymore – it’s a self-care list.  One “a-ha” moment for me was realizing that no one can take care of me better than me.  

Taking care of my self is my top priority.  It’s not selfish.  It’s necessary to my overall well being and the peace and harmony inside my home.  

What works for me:

1.  I practice yoga.  

I fit something in every day, whether it’s 10-15 sun breaths in the morning, 15 minutes of meditation, or 60 minutes of asana practice.  Yoga feeds my soul in a way that nothing else does.  Yoga is my Pause button.  

2.  I write in my journal.  

I can fit this into the nooks and crannies of my life.  I have a small journal that I keep with me and I can jot down random thoughts, ideas for this blog, or I can even work through an issue that may have gotten my knickers in a knot.

3.  I practice Thai Kickboxing.  

I love the martial arts.  It’s synergistic with my yoga practice, plus when I’m in class, I’m surrounded by like minded people who not only love Thai Kickboxing, but they’re going after their black belt as well.  Not only is Kickboxing a great physical release, but it requires discipline, dedication, and determination.

4.  I get my nails done.  

This is not a guilty pleasure.  I’ll never forget my first pedicure.  One night in the midst of going through my divorce, I was scheduled to meet my sister for dinner and I had some time to kill, so I walked into a nail salon, and since I had never done something like this, I requested a manicure and a pedicure.  It was an amazing experience…and I remember telling my sister, “what took me so long?”

5.  I spend time with energetic, creative, fun people.  

Surrounding myself with positive, happy people helps keep me aligned with the positive forces in my life.  I know it’s cliche, but life’s too short to be around toxic, negative people.  

One last thought

We make time for what we value.  When’s the last time you valued yourself enough to make time for you?

I’ve compiled a list of online resources to help you in your self-care journey.  Make today a self-care day!

Enjoy,

The Bonus Mom

Self-Care Resources Online

 

1.  60 Ways to Nurture Yourself

2.  Self-Care Tips for Working Moms (and that includes Step Moms!)

3.  Self-Care for Health and Stress Management

4.  Yoga and Self-Care (list of articles from Yoga Journal)