This week we have some sparkly love on this blog! My adorable friend and fellow health coach Lindsey Torres is sharing some mommy wisdom with us here. I feel our culture puts a lot of pressure on mothers today: they are guilted, stressed and shamed way more than previous generations. The mothers of this world are carrying out THE MOST important job there is: raising healthy, confident children. We need to honor and support that. I hope this blog post makes all the mommies out there realize they are appreciated, loved and supported. So without further ado, here are Lindsey’s tips:
- Do something you love to do
Just because you are a mother doesn’t mean you are allowed to lose your sense of self. You have individual needs and wants, desires and kinky interests. Paint a picture. Color in a coloring book. Play on the monkey bars. Knit a pair of socks. Re-watch your favorite Nicholas Sparks movie for the 100th time. Read a book. Just do something that makes your heart happy!
- Paint your toenails
Now that you can actually see them, paint them! Or if you have the luxury of actually going to a nail salon, take advantage of the opportunity and go! Ignore everyone who feels pretty toes are not important! For me and a lot of new moms, having nicely manicured feet makes us feel like super stars. - Eat a green smoothie
Growing up, green smoothies weren’t really around. We had the same old boring vegetables every night for dinner. Now, it’s 2013 and green smoothies are a huge fad. They also have amazing benefits to a healing body. Mental clarity and more energy are just two of the amazing benefits and those two speak for themselves. They also help aid with weight-loss which for me was a big thing after having my babies. - Take a hot bath
I don’t know why but there’s just something so relaxing about a hot bath. Use one of your newborn’s naps as an opportunity for this. Turn the lights down low, or off. Light some candles. Put on some Enya. Fill that bath up, add bubbles if you must. Jump in. Enjoy.
- Dance
I’ve always loved the quote “Motion creates emotion.” Correct me if I’m wrong but dancing and feeling depressed at the same time are just not possible. They’re just not! Try it, I dare you. Here’s a song suggestion: Vanilla Ice: Ice, Ice Baby. Go YouTube it, for free and crank the volume! - Journal
My journal contains all of the things I wish I could say out loud, but would be hurtful to others if I actually expressed them in the way I truly wanted to. My journal is my safe haven for expression. We all deserve it. Journaling is one of the healthiest things we can do for mental sanity. Take it out on the pen and paper. - Sleep when baby sleeps
“Cleaning & scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow. So settle down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I’m rocking my baby & babies don’t keep.” The dishes can wait and the cobwebs aren’t going anywhere. Honestly, you are human. Not a superhero (well, actually you kind of are). No one, except yourself, expects you to take care of a baby, take care of a house and take care of yourself to the highest degree. Realize that expectation is coming from you and not the pressure of someone else.
- Walk
Nothing like some good old Vitamin E and fresh air. Sunlight and walking release endorphins that create good happy feelings. We could all use more of those! Especially being a new mom. Don’t allow yourself to be confined to four walls and closed blinds. I’ve tried it, not a good outcome. - Play dress-up
Refer to #1. Again, you are still a human being. You deserve to feel beautiful and sexy and sensual. So if putting on your fancy clothes and doing your make up and curling your hair lifts your spirits then do it! Who cares if you have nowhere to go and who cares if no one will see you. Your confidence will thank you for it. While you’re at it, take some selfie-pics & make some funny faces. - Write yourself a love note
In the letter, make sure to remind yourself that you are beautiful. You are perfectly imperfect. It’s okay to feel like you’re on the verge of a mental breakdown. It’s okay to cry. Remind yourself that you are not alone. Everything you feel is what 99% of other new moms have felt at one point or another. Maybe some are better at hiding it, but they do. Remind yourself not to be so hard on yourself and to love yourself for your good and your bad. Remind yourself that you are a wonderful mom and to only compete with your best, not everyone else’s best. Stop competing with the perfectly primped mother who lives down the road. Stop competing with moms you see on TV or moms who seem like they have it all together. Worry about yourself and do what’s best for your kids in YOUR eyes, not everyone else’s. Remind yourself that you are amazing! Seriously, you are a kick-ass woman. You gave birth to another human being… you did something so heroic and so brave that it’s just unbelievable. Remind yourself that you are lovable and your flaws are what make you so very beautiful, radiant and unique. - Embrace your baby
You were given one of life’s greatest gifts. You are the primary caretaker of a helpless little beautiful baby. Expect the cries. Expect the sleepless nights. They are babies and it’s what they do. When you expect this stuff to happen instead of resisting it, I promise you life will be 100x easier. Your baby is only a baby for such a short time. Love them. Kiss them. Hold them. You are their world and they deserve to be your world too!
Lindsey Torres is a holistic health coach who received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is a mom of two and a wife, who strives to empower other moms to live happy, peaceful and fulfilling lives. She believes that the mind, body & spirit connection is extremely important and working on all three to improve a person’s overall health & vitality. For more check out her website and like her Facebook page ‘Empower The Mom’
