Here we are in the second week of January and I have finally figured out a great new year goal for myself. I wouldn’t call it a resolution, it’s more of a conscious lifestyle change. Over the last few months of the year, my interests shifted dramatically towards wellness and self-care, and I intend to make this more of a priority in 2018.
That may sound selfish but I feel that there is a healthy level of selfishness that everyone needs to maintain. As a wife, mother, and employee, it is very easy to lose sight of yourself.
After having my first child I felt as though I was going through the motions, desperately trying to keep up with a life that felt like it was suddenly going 1,000 miles per hour. In that time I could barely shower alone, shop for myself, have a quiet moment or leave the house alone! I can’t even blame these things on anyone besides myself. Part of it was learning to juggle new responsibilities, but it was mainly not giving myself space or time to just be me for fear of being a bad mother or spouse.
But in time I learned to recalibrate my thinking. I now know that it’s okay to have time with my friends without my kid, that my husband & baby will be okay if I leave them for longer than 2 hours and that sometimes I can just sit there and read without feeling guilty about chores I should be doing while the baby is sleeping. I try to constantly remind myself that even though I wear many hats, I am still a woman and I need to take care of myself so that I can take care of those depending on me.
So, I have made it my goal in 2018 to continue learning new, healthy ways to improve myself physically, maintain my emotional peace and implement everything I’ve learned in my daily life so that these actions become new, healthy habits.
As part of making goals S.ma.r.t. involves defining clearly how and what you want to do, I will list out of a few of my goals as they relate to self-care and R&R
Self-care
-I want to commit to removing my makeup every night no matter what. We have all fall asleep with our make-up on by accident or just said ‘F’ it and slept in it on purpose! But now that I am getting older and wearing more makeup than I ever have, I know that it is a must to remove it all, every time I wear it. In the past, I have kept wipes on hand in my vanity drawer but this year I would like to try removing my makeup with coconut oil and rinsing with warm water. Coconut oil is a lot more gentle on your skin than wipes, it’s better for the environment and it is great for your skin! In order to accomplish this, I will keep coconut oil in my bathroom and add washing my face with cleanser nightly before brushing my teeth.
-I would like to cater to my skin by doing a weekly mask. I am really late to the mask craze, but now that I have finally tried them I am in love. I really like this because it helps your skin but it is also a fun way to relax and take care of yourself. I want to commit to doing a mask or special skin treatment each week.
-Now that I have really gotten into makeup and I have to proper tools, I want to make sure I overcome my laziness and have those super glammed up moments. I know realistically I can’t do this every day but I want to try for at least once a week. Whether it be for work or date night, I want to go all out. Contour! Lashes! Glitter! The works! With a little organization, I can allow myself an extra 20-30 minutes to accomplish this.
Rest & Relaxation
Reading
-I’m setting the small goal of reading 3 books this year. I plan to accomplish this by designating specific times to read each day. Right now I am making a conscious effort to read during my commute, to and from work, instead of being on social media.
Vibe time
-I also want to take at least 30 minutes at home and dedicate it to downtime. No TV, no music, low lights, my aromatherapy and a book. I have tried this a few times before bed, usually with my toddler. It is a great way for the both of us to wind down before bedtime and engage without the distractions of my phone or the TV. I find that this routine before bed usually leads to much better sleep for the both of us.
These are just some of my goals and I hope to keep this up well past 2018!
