Are you taking care of yourself?
The following is a sponsored post. Opinions are my own.
Often we put everyone else’s needs before our own, leaving us feeling run down, especially this time of year. Instead of allowing me to neglect myself, I have decided to take action and implement a little self care each day.
1.) Allocate time just for you
Make time in your day for things you like to do that rejuvenate you. Most readers of this site are Christian, so I am going to assume you are allocating time to pray and read scripture. You allocate time to cook, clean, spend time with your kids and partner, are you allocating time for yourself? Whether it be rising 30 minutes before everyone else or giving yourself the first 30minutes after you drop off the kids, make time for you.
2.) Decide what you want to do in that time
Meditation, yoga, pilates, reading books you love, taking a bath or watching your favourite TV show, whatever it is you want to do with your time, decide on it and make sure you do it. Personally, I love listening to some music and chilling out.
3.) Allocate money for yourself
Too often couples I talk to budget for everything but a little spending for themselves. I refer to this as sanity money or splash cash. It is an amount set aside each pay for you to do whatever you like with. You might want to spend it on coffee at a cafe, save it to buy your favourite products or go on a shopping spree.
With allocating money for yourself, I also include a clothing budget, beauty money etc. This doesn’t need to come out of your splash cash, mine comes from our family budget. I go to the salon once a month for specific treatments, the rest of my beauty regime I do myself including my hair cuts. I purchase products I love (Clinique is my favourite. I make sure I purchase mine on sale or with coupons. Groupon Coupons is where I have found the best deals for the Clinique products I love, saving me a small fortune.)
4.) Dress to impress
As a teen, an older mum I looked up to me impressed on me the importance of dressing well/taking care of myself and never ‘letting myself go’ even when married. She pointed out that, while one never wants to think your spouse could stray, the fact is, if he is going to work every day with women who are dressing and looking their best, it isn’t exactly exciting to come home to a wife in sweatpants, messy hair and no make-up. I’m not saying you need to go all out or do it just for your husband. I do think you will feel more confident about yourself if you look good.
I dress well for myself. I select clothing that suits my figure. I know which brands I love that flatter me and make me feel good. I start with underwear – Victoria’s Secret is my favourite, and again, I use Groupon Coupons to get the best deals for them. Never pay full price! If you don’t use Groupon Coupons, at least buy things on sale. Paying full price is like throwing money down the drain!
I make sure I get underwear that fits well, followed by clothing and shoes that make me feel great. I have learned some easy hairstyles that suit me and take only a few minutes, then my face is simply BB cream, mascara and tinted lip balm. Simple, but it makes me feel good and my spouse appreciates it.
5.) Say no
Stop doing everything for everyone else. Learn to say no and put yourself first. You need to set your own boundaries otherwise people will push you into doing more than you are capable of and you will end up burned out.
Self care is extremely important. Whatever you decide to do, it needn’t be expensive. Allocate time, allocate some of your budget, use sites like Groupon Coupons to get the best deals and make sure you do it.
How do you include self care in your life?