Tag Archives: self-care

#PPDChat 03.21.16: Self-Care with @HonestlyMamaG

Self-care discussion with @HonestlyMamaGYou know I am a HUGE proponent of self-care. Huge. So when I run into someone else who is actively creating a community around this concept, particularly for mamas, I have to get them involved in #PPDChat. Because self-care is at the core of our philosophy here.

Today, I’m so thrilled that Graeme of @HonestlyMamaG will be joining us. I had the pleasure of meeting her at last year’s first maternal mental health patient centered conference held by Postpartum Progress. We’ve kept up via social media. Every Saturday, Graeme would post Self-care Saturday posts. My self-care, particularly on the weekends, has increased because of these posts. (I am also a huge proponent of walking the walk so if I post something, better believe I’m going to do it!)

She’s recently started Periscoping and a separate community specifically for self-care. When I asked if she’d be willing to do a #PPDChat to talk about it, she enthusiastically said YES.

I hope you’ll join us tonight as we discuss the importance of self-care as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, heck… as a human. See you on Twitter at 9pm ET, y’all!

An Attitude of Gratitude

It’s a tough time of year for me come fall. The sun doesn’t shine as long, the leaves fall from the trees after a magnificent burst of color as they dance toward death before winter, and the skies are nowhere near as bright in the middle of October as they are at the height of July. Toss anything else in that mix and I start digging a rabbit hole to crawl into until Spring.

Gratitude JarThis year, I decided to do my very best to keep out of that rabbit hole. In addition to my SAD Lamp, I created a Gratitude Jar. I don’t remember where I first saw the idea (probably Pinterest), but it struck me as something easy I could do that would help all of us focus on the positive instead of wallowing in the depths of The Nothing that surrounds us like a parasite through the fall and winter months.

I posted a picture of my Gratitude Jar on Facebook and a friend immediately asked me how I did it. I promised her a blog post about it, complete with printables. So here we are!

Step 1: Buy a jar. Or use one you have at home. I found a really fantastic one at the local Goodwill for less than $2.00. You’ll want a smaller jar or vase to hold the strips you’ll print out for writing just what it is you’re grateful for every day.

Step 2: Create a label. I used Microsoft Word. Chose a Gift Certificate Template and adjusted it to my needs. I replaced the wording with a description of what to do as well as a couple of inspirational quotes related to gratitude. I used this list at Inc for quotes. (40 really great ones!) Based on your jar size, you may need a different label. Feel free to play around in Word and create your own. The one I made fit my jar perfectly.

Step 3: Cut out the label. Using a simple glue stick (borrowed from a school age child), glue said label onto jar. Place face down on a hard surface (I had to put it in the middle of our dining room table so the cat wouldn’t bat it off onto the ground).

Step 4: Again, using Word, I created a simple one column table the length of the page, and simple copied and pasted the words “I’m grateful for” in each row, leaving plenty of space to write a few things. Print, and cut out. I used a paper cutter but you could use scissors. The nice thing about doing it this way is that instead of buying a pad of paper, you can just print and refill as needed.

Gratitude Jar LocationStep 5: Set up the Gratitude Jar in a place that makes it easy to use. A common area but not in the way of anything. As you see, I have the Gratitude Jar on one side, and the little vase with the strips on the other side of a gorgeous vase that sits on our game cabinet in our dining room. So far, it works well. (We’re on day 4, I think.)

And that’s it. Easy peasy. While I am having to stretch to think of something for which I am grateful every day, it’s a good habit to have. Positive thinking matters.

And now, for the printables:

Gratitude Jar Labels

Gratitude Strips

Go forth and be filled with gratitude! Oh, and you’ll notice that there are TWO Gratitude Jar Labels on the printable. Make one for a friend and share the gratitude!

#PPDChat 04.13.15: Finding Rays of Sun

Finding Rays of Sunshine: Thinking Positively in the DarkIt’s tough to be positive when surrounded by dark, wrapped in fog. It’s tough to see the sun and embrace the warmth it offers when you all want to do is cover your head with a blanket and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

It is perfectly okay to wrap yourself up in that blanket and stay in a cocoon for awhile. But eventually, just like the caterpillar that transforms into a beautiful butterfly, you will have to emerge into life.

Baby steps.

Join me tonight at #PPDChat on Twitter as we navigate how to step out of the dark and foggy night into the sunshine. I’ll be talking about a few methods I have used for myself, all of which incorporate together nicely:

List of three: listing three things for which you are grateful in the morning before your feet hit the floor, and then listing three things which made you laugh/smile in the evening before bed.

Five Senses Self-Care: listing all five senses, then five of your favourite things for each sense and incorporating at least one thing from each sense into every day living. Also involves posting this list in a main area where members of your family are able to see this so they know what you need.

Daily Self-Care Time Out: Dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to YOU. Self-care does not need to be tedious or long. It can be as little as the routine of preparing a favourite tea, sitting in the sun, taking a hot shower – whatever soothes YOU.

I’ll see you tonight on Twitter at 9:00pm ET to discuss all of this and more. Oh, and you can follow along right here as well! I’ll be posting the live Twubs feed right before chat starts!

Meanwhile – get a jump start on the self-care today! What WILL you do for YOU today? Let us know tonight at chat.

Me? I’ve got some awesome chocolate in the pantry that needs devouring.

#PPDChat 10.06.14: Art of Self-Care

ppdchat-10-06-14Guilt over what we should be doing for ourselves often translates into a serious lack of self-care. We forget to gift ourselves the grace we so often extend to everyone else in our lives to those who need it most – us.

I am constantly saying how important self-care is to the journey of motherhood. We HAVE to fill our own pitchers before we can pour ourselves to those around us. If we don’t, we will have nothing to pour into the cups of those we love and soon we will turn to dust.

Join me tonight as we chat about the art of self care through the art of self-grace.

Gift yourself grace, and steep yourself in the self-care you deserve.

See you on Twitter at 830pm ET!

#PPDChat 08.18.14: Self-Care – Lists of Three

ppdchat-08-11-14

I started this thing awhile back on Twitter, #listof3. It took off and I use it when I get down. Thing is, I haven’t used it in awhile so it’s been stuck on the backburner of my brain. Others have used it, however. It warms my heart to see others using it even if I am not because it’s comforting to see someone else lifted up because of you.

I was reminded of this #listof3 by a #PPDChat Volunteer late last week when I asked for suggestions for chat this week. I sat with it for a few days and decided to run with it today. Her suggestion read as follows:

“Name 3 things you’re thankful for, 3 things you wish your family knew, 3 things you want your kids to remember about you, and so on and so forth. I come up with 3 different things each time.”

We’re heading into that time of year when mamas are sending older kids back to school and schedules are drastically changing. In the midst of this chaos (regardless of whether or not you’re celebrating or missing your little ones), it’s important to remember to take care of yourself and focus on the positives in your life instead of all the little things running you ragged or pulling you down.

I sincerely hope you’ll join us tonight as we discuss our own #listof3, finding gratefulness tucked away even in the most chaotic corner of our lives. Who knows, maybe attending chat will end up on your list!

In the meantime, what are you grateful for today?

I’m grateful for coffee, sunshine, and sleep.

Your turn: