Tag: self care
How to Practice Vibrant Self Care During Early Motherhood
For more pregnancy & childbirth tips, tricks, and support get your copy of Feng Shui Mommy, https://www.amazon.com/Feng-Shui-Momm…
Mom ~ 5 Ways to Show Up for Yourself
You deserve to be nourished and honored as the radically capable and loving woman you are – and you’re just the person for the job.
But wait, is your inner “guilty mom monster” siphoning away all motivation for you to dip into the harmonizing waters of self-care instead sticking you in a perpetuating cycle of putting your own needs last?
Let’s be done with that – let’s move you up on your list of priorities.
Begin weaving the following practices into your daily way of being so you can blossom into the most vibrant version of you.
- Separate Your Emotions from Your Child’s. Do you feel intrinsically linked with your child’s well-being? Do you hurt when they hurt? Do you fill with joy when they fill with joy? While these shared emotions can be a testament to the strength of the mother-child bond, they also prevent you from supporting your child without fracturing your equilibrium.
Why Nurturing Your Self Will Make You a Better Mother
What Would Happen If We Dipped Into a New Creative Medium?
Hot off the Feng Shui Mommy Newsletter press.
Adult coloring books are all the rage right now. While I usually shy away from trends, purely because they’re trendy, I’m all over this fad. Actually, I was all over this before it was even a “thing.” I was that mom in the restaurant trying to keep my son from scribbling over my color-in-the-lines masterpiece. Now I just bring my own coloring book.
Initially, I thought I could only partake in this extracurricular indulgence on the weekends, or the rare moments when all my “important” work was complete- coloring seemed frivolous.
“Shouldn’t I be writing? That’s my thing– my soul’s work.”
What I noticed after a week of partaking in this delicious frivolity every day, was my writing got better! And, I got better at that whole “living in the moment” trend. Interesting.
Stepping out of my creative bubble, made it burst, and let in some pretty juicy newness.
What’s your creative medium of choice? The activity that feeds your soul and injects a hearty dose of purpose into your day?
What would it be like if you tried something outside your creative wheelhouse? Something that you’re not a pro at, and would be exploring just for the sake of dipping into something different.
This newness may stir up latent insecurities, fear of change, and guilt that you’re not doing something you’re “supposed” to do. How fabulous.
Dipping into those seemingly negative areas of your being is the only way to release them. It also produces fabulous material for your primary creative work.
When I realized I wasn’t so great at coloring within the lines (and should really be washing those piles of dishes and clothes instead of sitting at my son’s mini-table with colored pencils and a coloring book) I felt really insecure, and questioned myself.
Then, I sat down to write that evening and had so much fresh material. I had gently loosened pieces of myself I didn’t like to look at, but were so interesting when I allowed them to come out and play.
On the days I pull out the colors, and then transition into writing, I end the day feeling emotionally free, mentally clear, and spiritually accomplished- it’s pretty cool. All this from flipping back the cover of a 5 by 7-inch coloring book.
You don’t need to jump on the coloring bandwagon, but consider the places some of the other creative bandwagons may take you. Likely, somewhere fresh and exhilarating.
Sending you love and encouragement for investing in something new, just for you.
Xoxo,
Bailey
How Do We Step Into Our Intentions?
The intentions set for a new year have a bad reputation for only lasting through January. But what if we change the conversation? What if we shift those dismal expectations?
What if we decided the beautiful hopes and commitments we set for another trip around the sun will make a lasting and profound change in our life, persisting as long as we want it/them to.
What if.
One way I propose we do this is by living each day like a mini life.
When we hold the mind set that each day is one small lifetime, we dive deeper in, dedicating ourselves to relishing the moments, and how our (new) positive intentions paint those moments.
It also takes the pressure off. When we know tomorrow is a new lifetime, we release the need to take any perceived failures or disappoints from this life into the next. Recommit to your intentions at the beginning of each mini lifetime and celebrate their manifestations like major “lifetime” achievements.
How lovely that we can decide to be reborn every day. We can start every day afresh and light.
This mindset also serves to dissolve the monotony that can suck the zest out of life, and infuses fresh excitement into our favorable changes that require daily devotion.
Even if we engage in similar activities each day, we can bring new layers of perception to our intentions and motivations in each mini life.
This freshens up familiar activities, allowing us to mine new insights, ways of doing, and solutions from the old.
At the end of each mini lifetime, let’s honor it as we would the closing of a full life. It doesn’t need to hold sadness, because after each lifetime comes another. A fresh chance to start anew.
A new shade of enthusiasm and joy will color our lives when each day is honored as sacred.
For my readers who are parents, or soon-to-be parents, let’s marinate on these ideas to see how we can translate them into inspiring teachings for our children.
Each and every one of us deserves the deep satisfaction that comes with seeing our resolutions, intentions, plans, promises, (or whatever we feel like calling them!) come to fruition and fill our life with ever-expanding joy.
Sending you glowing love and gratitude!
And in other news…
Feel free to email me at BaileyGaddis@yahoo.com to explore this topic further.
As a yummy bonus, here is a short and sweet relaxation recording for you.
This is straight outta a newsletter I plan to send out weekly- exploring the challenges, beauty, and questions living in the mind-body-spirit continuum, conscious parenting, blissful birthing, and many other layers of this wonderful journey we call life.
If you’re connecting to these words, you can subscribe here, Feng Shui Mommy Newsletter
For more relaxation recordings go here- Your Serene Life
For daily (short) thoughts and inspirations, go here- Feng Shui Mommy Facebook page
And, if you’re pregnant, please oh please check this out 🙂 Feng Shui Mommy Online Childbirth Course
5 Fun Mind Games
I play mind games with my Hypnotherapy clients- but they’re willing players. Often, the best way to melt away the mental (and physical and spiritual) gunk is to have some fun with the barrage of thoughts, emotions, and sensations wrecking havoc in the whole-being.
Here’s how we play:
- We play nice. We stop labeling all the negativity as bad and just notice it. When we remove the resistance and name-calling of our inner darkness, it loses its power and may even dissolve into unexpected light.
- We make believe. If we don’t like the movie we’re living in we create a new one. This movie can be fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, comedy, a poignant drama- or maybe all of that mixed together. The movie is whatever we want. We close our eyes and play it on repeat in our mind until we believe.
- We take our time. If we stumble into a (real or imagined) place, person, or situation that makes us feel wonderful (and is safe) we stay there for awhile and relish in the positivity without worrying about needing to tend to others. Many of us spend most of our time worrying about other people- taking a few (or many) moments to focus solely on our own needs will make our giving so much richer.
- We don’t have any rules. The possibilities are endless in the space of mind games. We go where we want, explore as deeply as we want, talk how we want, move how we want, cry if we want, and generally do whatever feels right
- We don’t care if we win. These games are all about the cliche, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” We’re not trying to reach a finish line, we’re savoring the exploration of our unique paths and creating space for positive expansion along the way.
Hey friend, go play!
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