10 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Self-Love for Moms
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Are you feeling drained as a mom? Wondering when will it get easier or how you will make it through the day?
Mama, you are not alone! I chat with many moms who tell me that they love being a mom but feel wiped out. Or not enough. Or guilty. Or _____ (insert negative thought or feeling that moms often experience).
Ready to take action and start living your life again? Hoping to find tips and suggestions to help you rediscover your self-worth? Want to shed body image issues and negative self-thoughts?
Well, alright! Roll up your sleeves and get ready for some self-love time!
Wondering what I mean by self-love? Check out Self-Love for Moms: What Is It & Why It Is Important, the first post in this self-love for mom series.
I want to share with you tips and techniques to help you cultivate self-love practices in your life. You do not have to do each one. In fact, I don't recommend doing all. At least, not right away.
As with any change, slow and steady wins the race. If you don't want to envision yourself as a tortoise (which I think are super cute), think of yourself as a flower or tree.
Anyhoo, a common issue that many folks run into with self-help and self-growth practices is trying to do too much at one time. Don't do that. We want these positive self-love practices to stick, like playdough to carpet. You're a mom-I know you'll get that example;)
Before you consider these 10 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Self-Love for Moms, pause for a moment. Think about these questions:
- How and where do you like to relax?
- Are you an introvert or extrovert? (Do you feel refreshed from time alone or with others?)
- Reflect upon your life. Recall times that you felt the most loved. What was happening? Who were you with? What made that moment so special?
- What is your learning style? Are you a visual learner-preferring reading and imagery? Do you learn best through audio resources, like music, audiobooks, and podcasts? Are you a kinesthetic learner who prefers hands-on activities?
- Do you prefer experiential or observant experiences? Do you like to be physically involved or prefer to sit back and watch?
These questions can help you determine what positive self-love practice you would like to initially include in your daily life. As you read through these suggestions, jot down any other ideas that come to mind that will help your decision.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here. I understand that some people struggle with gray area. If you are looking for specific answers or steps, you will not find that here. Your self-love practice can only be chosen and implemented by you. It will do you absolutely no good for me to give specific days, times, or ways to perform self-love practices.
Acknowledge any concerns or feelings of discomfort. If you are not used to including self-love practices in your life, you may feel weird. Guilty. Anxious.
All of that is okay! The other thing about change: it isn't comfortable. Change can be incredibly hard and make you feel like giving up.
But, you are worth it. You deserve to take time for self-care practices. You will feel better and be able to give so much more to your loved ones!
10 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Self-Love for Moms
Without knowing your background and specific reasons for wanting to apply self-love practices, I can say that these ten suggestions can help. If you struggle with body image, self-acceptance, self-respect, or self-doubt, these practices can help you manage those negative issues.
If you feel now or at any time during this process that this struggle is significant and interfering with your daily functioning, I urge you to seek out professional help. A trained psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or therapist can help. There is no weakness in receiving help; only strength in accepting where you are and working towards where you want to be.
- Journal: Maintaining a personal journal is an excellent way to practice self-love. A special place to share your thoughts and feelings, a journal provides you with a place to vent, confess, and express yourself in any way. The process of writing down your experiences can be cathartic. Reviewing those words can open your eyes to what is actually going on in your life. Journaling can be open and spontaneous or guided. If you would like free weekly journal prompts that I created to help homeschool moms work towards self-growth, click here.
- Affirmations: The use of positive self-statements is an extremely powerful practice in helping you transform your thoughts. Find out more about affirmations here and use these free printable affirmations cards to help you get started.
- Prayer and Meditation: Personal time for your faith and reflection is a wonderful self-love practice. Daily reading of spiritual resources that mean something to you is a way to practice spiritual self-love.
- Trusted Support and Community: Self-love can come in the form of meaningful relationships with others who understand and get you. Your tribe. Your people. Whatever you call them, when you take time to nurture those relationships, you are building interpersonal skills. Depending on your self-love language, this special time can be vital to your well-being. If you are looking for a fantastic homeschool mom community, please check out my Rock Your Homeschool! Facebook group that is filled with amazing women!
- Self-Care Practices: I am referring to those commonly known self-care practices of getting a manicure, taking a bubble bath, or brewing a cup of tea to savor. These practices are ways that you take time for you. If nothing else, you can use them to "fake it 'til you make it" as my friend, Dustie, suggests.
- Positive Thinking Techniques and Practices: This self-love practice is my #1 favorite! Our thoughts impact our daily functioning in ways that we often don't even realize. I will be sharing more about how moms can use positive thinking strategies to transform thoughts. Until then, I suggest being mindful of the words that you internally use to describe yourself and situations.
- Filter: You cultivate self-love when you make wise selections of what you feed your mind, body, and soul. Consider what you see on social media, television, movies, and promotional ads. Marketing strategies are used to make you think you "need" a product to look, feel, or think a certain way. It is okay to say no!
- Eliminate Triggers: This tip takes filtering to another level. If you know that a specific magazine contains advertisements that trigger a negative view of self, stop reading it!! Eliminate that trigger! Watching the news or reading the newspaper affect your well-being? Eliminate them! Find a different way to stay up with current events.
- Resources: Consider adding positive influences to your life. Books, audiobooks, and podcasts (I recommend The Mindful Kind and Optimal Living Daily) and can provide you with uplifting information that helps you see your inner and outer beauty. Fill your life with positive and you will start to think and act that way.
- Exercise and Diet: Your body is affected by what you eat and drink, as well as your exercise habits. No matter where you are on your health and fitness journey, you will practice one of the greatest forms of self-love when you consciously make decisions to eat better and regularly exercise.
You can cultivate self-love. As a mom, I know that time management can be a struggle. I will soon be sharing ways to make time for self-care. Until then, look at your current responsibilities. Talk with your significant other, family members, or friends who can give you a break. Make a plan to incorporate one of these powerful ways to cultivate self-love.
Give yourself grace as you work towards cultivating self-love. Good habits take time to develop and maintain. Remember that you are worth the effort and time. Enjoy the positive growth that you experience when you cultivate self-love!
How will you cultivate self-love in your life? What would you add to this list?