Celebrating Women's History Month!
As we celebrate women and all their achievements this (and every!) month, let's highlight the importance of physical and mental health for women.
Now I know, we all know how important physical health is. But as women and especially mother's today, it often seems like our own health takes a backseat to everything (and everyone) else! Hello chronic stress and adrenal fatigue!
Our mental health is influenced by a variety of factors-- stress, hormones, life stages, traumatic events, relationships + spirituality. Just as we focus on physical fitness by taking care of our bodies, we can pursue optimum wellness by taking care of our minds as well. In fact, the two kind of go hand in hand. Toxin exposure, hormone imbalances, mineral deficiencies and stress can all effect not just our physical health but mental health as well.
Sleep
How many moms would say you get a full, restful nights sleep? Anyone?
I'm going to take a guess and say very few, especially if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue. Getting enough quality sleep plays a critical role in regulating the hormones involved in metabolism, appetite regulation and the stress response.
Stress
It has been said that moms today report higher levels of stress than any other previous generation. Short term stress can be beneficial but as we've learned, long term or chronic stress can lead to serious health problems. Research has show that women are more likely to report symptoms of chronic stress and overwhelm. Helping to support your body's stress response naturally is the first step to reducing your chronic stress burden.
Self-care
Now more often that not it's becoming common for self-care to mean ways of “checking-out” of your life for awhile while you focus on you. Now I'm not saying that is entirely bad and if you need that then be sure to take that time. But I want to empower you to build a life that you don't feel like you need to check out of. Self-care can look different for each of us but incorporating daily habits to support your overall wellbeing is vital not only for your health but for joy + purpose throughout your life.
How do you handle sleep, stress + self-care?
There are so many tips out there for help with sleeping. Creating a nighttime routine is definitely an important one: decreasing blue light exposure, cutting out caffeine early, meditate, play calming music, have a nighttime skincare routine etc. But I've found that more often than not I can be tired but I just can't seem to shut my brain off. The endless to-do list seems to just be running through my mind of everything I should do, want to do or forgot to do. The most helpful thing I've found is MONAT sleep drops. This non-habit forming tincture helps to turn off my overstimulated mom-brain and allows me to fall asleep fast and achieve a restful sleep without putting me in too deep of a sleep that I don't wake up to a crying child.
Stress. We all feel it. I won't review the typical stress reduction techniques I'm certain you've heard a time or two. Instead I want to talk about supporting your body's stress response on a physical and chemical level. Adaptogens help your body adapt to and respond to stress, both long-term and short-term. Research shows, adaptogens can help combat fatigue, enhance mental performance, ease depression and anxiety and overall support your body's performance. By supporting your body's natural stress response first, you will be much more successful in implementing whichever common stress reduction techniques you feel most aligned with.
As with any drug or supplement, adaptogens do have side effects, interactions, and contraindications. This is in no way meant to be any type of medical advice and it's always recommended you contact your healthcare provider before beginning a herbal regiment.
Self-care seems to be all the buzz lately. Most often people are talking about taking a bubble bath, getting a massage, or getting some quality alone time, and while those things aren't bad I want to be careful that we aren't treating self-care as a way to "check-out" from our current life. Self-care should be part of our daily life, not something we do to escape from it.
So tell me, what is your favorite way to care for yourself? Have you made self-care a part of your daily life or is this something you are still struggling with?
Stay Beautiful
Elizabeth Rose | Building Beautiful Lives
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