A few weeks ago, I posted my self-care journey as an autism mom. I shared some things that I did at the start of my day to make sure I’m keeping myself in line with taking care of myself. This week, I thought I would share some of my evening routine that also aligns with self-care. Keeping up with self-care has been a way to stay on top of my mental and physical health. It’s important that as women, we dedicate time for ourselves. It’s not always easy or even possible, but I have been getting better at it.
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As soon as dinner has been finished, after cleaning up the mess in my kitchen, I make sure that everyone else in the house is settled into whatever they need to be doing so I can take my 30 minutes to workout. I spoke previously about how Beachbody has been the best way for me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the luxury of being able to work out from home. As a special needs’ mom, I have no time to go to a gym and. to be honest, I never would even if I had the time. It’s convenient to have all of my workouts available right on my Firestick! So much easier than having to drive to a gym, etc. It just works best for me. If you’d like to know more about Beachbody, I wrote a post all about my coach and my own transformation journey. You can read more about it here.
Let’s talk about pampering yourself – let’s talk nails! Many years ago, going to a nail salon was part of my life. After my boys, that all went away. Again, didn’t have the time; never even tried to make the time. And yes, I can easily make that more of a priority now but, during a pandemic, I try not to go anywhere unless it’s important. For me, I can do my nails at home. The best part of my new nail routine is that it doesn’t require me to sit and wait for my nails to dry! I’ve been using several different brands of nail products and I’m loving all of them.
The first one is called Dashing Diva. I’m sure you have all heard of them but, if not, they are nail strips made of 100% nail color that are easily applied by stretching the correct size nail strip over your nails, buffing the access off around the sides and tips and you are done. It’s fast and easily removes with nail polish remover. Not only are they easy to apply, they last relatively long! I like being able to change colors quickly and easily and these are fantastic!
The other company is called Red Aspen Nail Dashes. Again, these are easy to use, you can apply them rather quickly and they can be worn up to two weeks. They come in various sizes – average, petite and large nails. These are applied with nail glue and you can cut them to the length you would like as well. I love that they come in such a variety of sizes and colors! If you’d like to give them a try, please contact Kristinn on her Instagram account @mskristinn321.
A couple of years ago while visiting my mother-in-law, she introduced me to a tea she makes for herself every night before bed. Since then, my husband and I have it on-hand and we like to have it before we go to bed as well. It’s called Manzanilla Con Anis. It’s a chamomile tea with anise. Generally, I do not care for anise, but this has a mild taste to it. I usually make it about a half hour before we are going to bed. This tea really brings you to a restful and relaxed state. It helps with anxiety and getting myself ready to fall asleep. I usually put a little stevia in mine; sometimes, I have it with cream as well. It has really helped us both relax a bit before turning in for the night.
Sometimes it is so hard to fall asleep if you are rustling with your pillow all night. I used to have that problem until I found the absolute best pillow called Coop. I had never heard of this pillow or company until my husband’s co-worker told him about it. My husband was complaining about the pillows never staying firm long enough and having to replace it every few months. He told him about Coop and, after my husband purchased his, I could tell he wasn’t struggling with the pillow anymore. I noticed he wasn’t tossing and turning, flipping the pillow around. The pillow is an interesting concept and unlike any of the ones I’ve used in the past. What makes this pillow different? It would have to be their proprietary shredded memory foam. The design allows air circulation to keep the breathability high for uninterrupted sleep. Doesn’t that sound appealing? I love that it comes pre-filled but also provides you with extra fill in case you want to take it up a notch. I haven’t had to fill mine at all! Also, a quick few minutes in the dryer refreshes the pillow. It somehow manages to stay firm yet soft. The price point for this pillow is obviously higher but, once you think about how you are buying a new pillow and spending anywhere from $20 – $50/ea every few months, this pays for itself tenfold. I highly recommend this pillow. I’m sure you will love it.
The last thing I must share with you is an app. The app is called MindZone. It has so many different types of relaxing and restful sounds for you to choose from. Sometimes I use a quick 5-minute sound right before bedtime and it really helps relax my mind. One of my favorite features about the app is the story-telling feature called, Return to Childhood. It gives you a few options to choose from and will read a fairytale-themed story to your child. The stories range in length, from 11-25 minutes. If my kids are relaxed and sleeping, then I can get a better night’s sleep as well.
Over the past year, I’ve had to learn how to make myself a priority. I felt the strain and anxiety as many of us have during this pandemic; add a special needs child to the mix and it can be overwhelming. I was just getting use to giving myself a break when I needed it and then came Covid. I had to learn how to adjust and continue to get my breaks, even when it meant I couldn’t leave the house. Thankfully, during the worst of the lockdown, I was able to, at least, sit in my yard for a little bit. That’s the good news, my friends! Spring and better weather is on the way! Hang in there and, in the meantime, I hope some of my suggestions will help you get through your self-care journey. Please let me know what you have been doing to give yourself breaks and the self-care loving you deserve in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by! I would love to talk more! Please come hang out with me on Instagram at @Lovealwaysjoann. You can also find me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. If you want to be alerted whenever I publish a new post, you can follow me on Bloglovin’ or subscribe via email.
