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I put the dish scrubber brush down hard in the sink. I am tired, and feeling a little stressed about the massive to-do list I have. Another day with my husband not around (who knows when I will see him) and of my kids have decided that today is the day to wake up at dawn and not take a nap.

I step away from the chaos and practice some deep breathing. I text my friend and tell her a little about my day. Then I write out a new to-do list, prioritizing the tasks and grouping them all together, sneak a chocolate covered mini-pretzel, down some of my favorite drink and sit on the couch. Time for a break, some grace and some snuggles with my kids. I know what I need to do.

Time for some self-care.

Self-care has been a long standing practice for as long as people have been on this earth. In fact, the ancient Greeks were masters at taking time for self-care. The Greek word for self care is “philautia” which translates most closely to ‘self love’ or ‘love of self.’ It was believed that when philautia was practiced appropriately it provided the strong foundation upon which all other love could be built. As Aristotle put it, “all friendly feelings for others are an extension of man’s feelings for himself.” In other words, to better show love for others, we must show love for ourselves. I think they are onto something here.

Self-care doesn’t always require a sitter. It isn’t just pedicures and shopping (although I would love to have the resources for those): Its about filling our cup. And it isn’t just about one aspect of our lives. There are many reasons WHY self-care is important. But once you determine why, its now time to determine HOW. There are four MAIN areas we can improve our self-care so we can better show self-love.

Physical

Physical self-care is usually related to the areas of your life what are tangible and something affecting your physical body and wellbeing. This can include exercise, our diet, and grooming.

According to the AHA, getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise can help lower risk of cardiac related deficits, dementia and Alzheimer’s, decrease weight gain, increase bone health and balance, and minimize symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Our diets can also affect our physical wellbeing. Remember that saying “you are what you eat”? It actually is more true than you may think! Although some well deserved chocolate, treats, and the like are fantastic in the moment, long term binging can bring not only unwanted weight gain, but can affect our energy levels, mood and overall physical health.

Getting the appropriate amount of sleep for our bodies, getting regular physicals and dental cleanings, eating clean diets and staying away from harmful substances can all benefit our physical bodies are are self-care practices that have long-term positive effects.

Emotional

Emotions are vital for our survival as human beings. Our ability to use our emotions to drive our decision making and compels us to take action in different areas of our lives is what separates us from other animals on this earth.

Emotions also give us compassion to how others are feeling and expressive our own emotions (in an appropriate and functional way) help others relate to us. This in turn assists in building long-lasting relationships with others.

According to VeryWellMind, our emotions are composed of a subjective component (how we experience the emotion), a physiological component (how our bodies react to the emotion), and an expressive component (how we behave in response to the emotion). These different elements can play a role in the function and purpose of our emotional responses.

With this in mind, using self-care practices to nurture our emotional intelligence is something that should not be overlooked. Emotional Intelligence is the capacity to use all three of the components above and to handle and maintain those interpersonal relationships with fairness and empathy.

In other words, emotional intelligence is the ability to handle life situations and the people we associate with better than our children do. Seems important, right?

Mental

I truly believe that self-care is a holistic practice. Not only do we want to exercise our bodies, but we also want to “exercise” our minds. Our brains are composed of different areas and functions, and we can take care of them through mental stimulation.

Now this isn’t just about sudoku or crossword puzzles. Mental self-care is more about minimizing brain “drain”. Two things that contribute to decreased mental health include high-levels of anxiety and stress and having a repetitive and routine-driven life. Let’s be honest, being an adult (let alone a military spouse and parent) has a way of increasing both of those things

There are simple ways to combat this brain “drain”: completing projects, learning a new skill, organizing and planning important tasks, taking time to learn a new skill or cultivate a current skill.

Spiritual

You may not think much about spiritual health or well-being and what role it plays in your life, but its significance is stronger than you may believe. There is a reason that Body, Mind and Spirit are all grouped together when talking about humans as a whole.

Spiritual wellness does not mean the same thing to everyone. Some correlate it with their religion while others relate it to their relationship with nature or others in their lives.

Overall, spirituality drives you to discover your place/purpose in the world and the knowledge that this life is meaningful. No matter your spiritual preference, having self-care related to your soul is something that can have long lasting effects. Good practices include letting go of anger, asking for forgiveness, meditation, prayer, and service.

So How Can We Do Better With Self-care?

Determining the areas of self-care that you want to focus on is usually the hardest part. Either we feel overwhelmed and shut down, never taking that first step or we want to focus on everything, which then causes delays in progress and dropping of goals.

Does this sound familiar? I know it does to me! That is why I created my 4-Week Self-Care Challenge eCourse! A FREE eCourse that focuses directly on YOU and giving you some simple steps to be able to identify and work on YOU. Whether you are male or female, with kids or without, we all have needs: time to start focusing on those needs.

Here are some questions to ponder:

  1. What are some signs I need to dedicate more time to self-care?
  2. Are there current things in my life that are working in regards to self-care?
  3. Are there current things in my life that are NOT working in regards to self-care?
  4. What are some new acts of self-care I would like to incorporate into my routine?
  5. How can I ensure more self-care time to my daily/weely/monthly routine?

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my post on WHY self-care is so vital for military spouses! But whether you are an active duty family, reserves, prior service or civilian, everyone needs self-care. I want everyone to be able to fill their own cups, feel fulfilled in their souls and be happier people.

What is Included

Included in this eCourse are worksheets for you to focus on recognizing what area of self-care is the most important to you, suggested challenge goals and tips for each week of focus, calendars to help you keep track, and so much more! Each week for 4 weeks a new email will be sent right to you with all the details – totally FREE!

The best part is: No arbitrary deadline, no pressure to complete in a specific timeframe. It is completely at your own pace and something you can come back to any time. Because its not about anyone else: Its about YOU! Your needs, your self-care.

My hope is that this short e-course will give you the confidence and steps to take in order to make YOUR care more of a priority in your life. Because are we all know, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Now is the time to focus on some self-care in your life.

So what are you waiting for?! Sign up and get started today!

Are you ready??

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Hi! Welcome to Mrs. Navy Mama.

I’m Noralee- a military wife of over 10 years, mother of three (soon to be 4) under 5, and lover of southern comfort food, my planner and chocolate. Military life is hard, no question.

Mrs. Navy Mama is a place where new military girlfriends, fiancees, or spouses can get tips and an honest perspective about military challenges.