7 Types of self-care all Moms should know about (what self-care really is)!

I am an advocate for moms finding and knowing who they are outside of their motherhood role and believe that self-care can help us maintain our self-worth. I love having good music playing in the background while I take a hot shower, shave, and deep condition my 4 c natural hair on a Sunday afternoon. Let me admit though that there are some days where good hair and good skin alone just don’t cut it. Those are the days that had me thinking that there has to be a deeper meaning and a holistic approach to self-care for us as moms. If you have been thinking that there has to be something deeper than hot showers and bubble baths, then here are 7 types of self-care that I believe that all moms should know about.

Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care is about fueling, nourishing , and taking care of your body. I recon you are familiar with bubble baths, facials, spa days which are amazing ways to pamper your body. However, physical self-care goes beyond pampering yourself. Practicing physical self-care  also looks like:

• Getting enough sleep
• Eating food that nourishes your body
• Staying hydrated
• Moving your body
• Taking your vitamins and prescribed medication.

Emotional Self-Care

Emotional self-care is all about connecting and acknowledging our feelings and learning to process them healthily. Motherhood can bring a lot of feelings of anxiety and overwhelm and we need to learn not to suppress our feelings, rather how to express and deal with them. I journal to process my feelings but if that is not your thing, you can:

• Talk to someone you trust about how you feel regularly
• Make yourself a priority
• Meditate
• Use affirmations to practice self-love and positive self-talk

Mental self-Care

Mental self-care means working on your mindset and doing things that help declutter your mind. What we feed our minds is important, we need to set clear boundaries and stick to them. I like reading and Kindle helps me to read anywhere.

You can:

• Reignite a passion of yours
• Watch personal development videos
• Learn a new skill
• Listening to a podcast

Social Self-Care

Motherhood can be lonely. Staying connected to our loved ones is very important for our well being and to be honest, the global pandemic has kind of robbed us of that. This can include:

• Exiting relationships that no longer serve you
• Having date nights
• Phoning a loved one you haven’t seen in a while

Spiritual self-Care

This is about nurturing your spirit and connecting to something or someone bigger than yourself. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and I pray, worship, and read the word of God for my spiritual self-care. You can practice spiritual self-care inline with your beliefs.

Practices include:

• Meditating
• Going to a place of worship
• Doing Yoga

Practical Self-Care

Put your hand up if you have gone shopping without a list only to realize when you were home that you had forgotten an important thing and needed to go back. I have and I now use a list app on my phone. Practical self-care helps you manage that by taking care of your core needs and doing things that will help you reduce stress in future. This can include:

• Budgeting
• Cleaning your kitchen the night before
• Planning your week

Professional Self-Care

This type of self-care is about your work life and creating a work-life balance. I used to be that mother who didn’t know when to stop working, yikes! Unfortunately, most moms are like that. Here’s what you can do to practice professional self-care:

• Leave work at work (or stop working at a certain time if you work from home)
• Take your leave!
• Don’t work through your lunch break
• Pursue your dream career/business!!!

Self-care is much broader and deeper than hot, relaxing showers and spa treatments, although they are needed. Sometimes you might not feel energized even when you have started taking care of yourself. Now you know that that might mean you are focusing on one area of self-care and stressing out because you are neglecting the other six. I hope these 7 types of self-care all moms should know help you develop a holistic self-care strategy for yourself. What has been your understanding of self-care?

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