Aug 14, 2018
Mom Squad! This week's episode is for you! We have
Chanelle Neilson, from the Moms Who Know podcast, talking
with us about why moms need to take care of themselves, why moms
don't, and why it is SUCH a big mistake!
Listen in to hear a great story about how Chanelle found
out she was pregnant with her fifth child (a major surprise), at
age 38, and how Chanelle began her writing and podcasting career in
China....whaaaat?!? Plus find out Andrea's best tip for
breastfeeding moms.
Chanelle Neilson is the host and creator of the Moms Who Know
Podcast. She is the author of Parenting with Purpose, which has
been translated into Chinese. She has worked in the fitness
industry for 20 years and is a certified yoga instructor. She loves
sunshine, healthy living, and dark chocolate. Chanelle is the
mother of 5 kids and is married to her best friend.
"When we take care of ourselves we can take BETTER care
of everyone else." - Chanelle Neilson
A major part of being able to care for ourselves is connected to
our ability to let go of our responsibilities ... at least
temporarily. This is nearly impossible for some moms!
Why?
- Part of this is caused by mom guilt...an affliction known to
many.
- Part is a control issue. We, as moms, want things to go a
certain way. If we're not there, doing things our way (the
right way), we worry about it getting done wrong...if at all.
We have to be willing to let go of the control over those things to
properly take care of ourselves.
5 Areas of Self-Care
- Physical
- Mental
- Nourishing your body
- Relaxation
- Social
Chanelle explored each of these areas, why they are so
important, and how moms can easily implement them.
-
PHYSICAL:
- Exercise is definitely one aspect of physical self care that is
important.
- We should listen to our bodies. The needs of our body
change from day to day, but those needs MUST be met. Perhaps
one day you need a good, hard run, but on another your body may
need rest, or a really good yoga stretch.
- Sometimes a physical need may not have to do with our bodies at
all. Perhaps we desperately need order and loveliness in our
home or garden. It could be the need to help our house or
garden look better.
- How can we be aware of our physical needs?
- It takes time to learn to slow down and listen to what our body
is saying about its needs. It becomes easier with
practice.
- In the chaos that is motherhood, we need to be able to FEEL and
THINK.
- MENTAL
- A huge part of mental self care has to do with incorporating
things into our life that stimulate us, such as podcasts (shameless
plug!), books, puzzles, etc.
- Sometimes mental self care can mean taking a mental
break. We live in a world where we are constantly needing
to process information. Sometimes the goal needs to be
finding peace.
- We may need to turn off the TV or music in the background in
order to create and hear the peace.
- "Turn it all off once in a while and have silence and see what
comes up in your mind. Mental self care might mean putting
more in and it might mean letting more out and giving yourself
space."
- NOURISHING YOUR BODY
- Feeding our bodies needs to be done with care and
consideration.
- Chanelle talks about the benefits of an 80%/20% rule when it
comes to food and indulgence. Essentially that means that 80%
of the time we should choose healthy choices. That gives us
the freedom to indulge 20% of the time without guilt. This
rule lends itself to a huge mental shift where food is concerned so
that we can nourish our body AND our souls.
- RELAX
- This area is more commonly thought of as PAMPERING.
- If moms have the time and money to have manicures, pedicures,
and massages, then that certainly is one way to pamper
ourselves. If not, here are some ideas on how moms can pamper
for little or no money:
- Hot bath with epsom salts or essential oils.
- Foot bath with marbles at the bottom so you can move your feet
around on them and accomplish a foot bath along with a
massage.
- Ask friends over for a night of pampering and do any above
along with facial masks, eye cucumber treatments, soothing music,
etc.
- SOCIAL
- The most important part of social self care is to be with
people that FILL you! Notice how your friends make you
feel. If you feel worse about YOU after being with them,
that's a good indication that being with them is not good social
self care.
- Stay at home moms can be very lonely which strains not only
themselves, but their relationships with their children and their
husbands.
- Here are some ideas for social self care:
- Call friends---old and new---and connect.
- Make play dates for your kids and spend the time connecting
with their moms.
How can busy moms fit self care into their
lives?
- It's all about making tasks a habit!
- Morning routines
- Night routines
- Daily effort works better than weekly to truly nourish moms and
make them better able to nourish others.
MOM SQUAD CHALLENGE:
Chanelle is issuing a challenge to all of her podcast listeners
and would like to include our listeners in it!
The Fill Your Own Cup Self Care Challenge! August
20-25. Spend 5 days focusing on a different aspect of self
care for you!
To participate go to www.momswhoknowpodcast.com/selfcare
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHANELLE:
www.momswhoknowpodcast.com
Apple Podcast: Moms Who Know
facebook.com/momswhoknowpodcast