This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx
Learn why Self Care Isn’t Selfish!
Raise your hand if you’ve been guilty of putting off self care? Whether it’s skimping on sleep, not drinking enough water, skipping your workouts, or going to bed with your makeup on. We are frequently guilty of not taking care of ourselves.
Kitty Cat Mask Pattern
Self-care are small habits that lead up to overall better wellness. Years ago, before I had Littlest, I had a great exercise routine. Somehow, after having Littlest, I just never got back in the groove. Three months ago I made a committment to myself to start exercising again. I’m motivated by checklists, so I started by making myself a 30 day calendar. I noted each day what my exercise goal was for the day. After 30 days I made a new calendar. After 60 days I’ve formed a habit that I look forward to every day.
Exercise might not be how you choose self-care. Perhaps you take time for manicures, facials, meditation, giving yourself enough sleep, or a combination of the above. The important piece to remember is that self-care is a mindset.
Love Your Skin
My skin is not the same as it was even a few years ago. We all know that smile lines and crinkles around the eyes are just part of aging. What I didn’t know was how even my skin type would change. I’ve gone from oily skin to combination skin and now leaning toward dry skin. Suddenly I’m paying a lot more attention to the creams and lotions I use on my face and skin. BOTA is on a mission to provide gentle, yet effective skincare that’s free of harsh chemicals. BOTA Skincare Age Defying Hand Lotion absorbs quickly while soothing and hydrating skin. When you exercise you often hear the idea ‘no pain no gain.’ Yes, I want to work hard during my workouts. But after? I can definitely treat my muscles to a BOTA Warming Muscle Melt Creme with warming cinnamon oil. (Use code WOMENSWELLNESS at checkout for 20% off site-wide)
Boost Your Energy
As almost every woman knows, your period is a lot more than cramps. After having Littlest I frequently get backaches with my period. Lots of women experience headaches, bloating, and moodiness in addition to cramps. Most frustratingly, for me, my cramps seem to have gotten worse after having Littlest. But the last thing I want is to feel sidelined for several days out of each month due to pain and discomfort. Pamprin Max Pain + Energy is powerfully formulated to fight the worst of your period pain and give you the boost of energy you need. Max Pain + Energy includes aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine to give you period relief with maximum strength results.
Self-care Isn’t Selfish
While it might not be as obvious as exercise, sleep, or facials, another aspect of self-care is self-love. This is an easy part of self-care for many women to overlook as we become busy taking care of everyone else in our lives, but sexual wellness is more than just annual exams. You are likely familiar with Trojan Brand Condoms for other aspects of sexual wellness, but did you know they also make a fingertip massager? Put your self-care into your own hands. The personal massager is both washable and resusable.
Get Enough Sleep
For me, one aspect of self-care that I can’t ignore is sleep. In fact, if I don’t get enough sleep not only am I tried, crabby, and sluggish, but I frequently even start running a low grade temperature. When I started exercising I loved that even the trainers I was following touted the importance of sleep in order for the body to repair itself. While I can usually sleep almost anywhere, sometimes it’s nice to pamper ourselves just a bit. Which is why I’ve mad myself this adorable Kitty Cat Knit Sleep Mask.
The first step is to make two of the cat shaped sections of the mask. These two pieces are knit separately and then whipped stitched together, wrong sides facing each other.
Once I had the cat faces finished I used a tapestry needle and embroidery stitches to create a cat face on one of the sides, leaving the other side smooth to have against my skin.
The last step was adding an i-cord strap. I picked up four stitches on one side of the mask and knit in i-cord to the length needed for the mask to fit around my head. Then I used a third needle to pick up 4 stitches on the other side of the mask and used a three needle bind-off to finish.
My finished Kitty Cat Sleep Mask is ready for a good nights sleep!
Get the Kitty Cat Mask Pattern Here
Remember that self-care isn’t selfish. Self-care is not a luxury to reserve for a special day. Self-care is a practice of making time for ourselves, time to restore, relax, reset, and relax. You can practice self-care through any activity that nurtures yourself and your energy. Give yourself the attention you deserve.
Great ideas. I already do some of these things, such as exercise and massages.
I agree that I’ve had to carefully evaluate skincare as I age. Ugh, whose idea was that…?
I get terrible cramps about every third month. It’s good to have pain management options when I need them. I love the cute sleep mask!
Great ideas. I loved how you said self care isn’t selfish. As mom’s especially if little kids it’s easy to get caught up in life and neglect ourselves. Cute mask!!