This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rainbow Light. All opinions are 100% mine.
I think a lot of the things that can bring us “down” as women (especially mamas) is feeling as though we’re not who we used to be. It could be that we’ve been through a few too many busy periods, our emotions have risen and fallen, making us less interested in the things we used to love. There could be a number of reasons.
Chin up – you! There’s hope! You can get yourself back again and all it takes is a few tweaks here and there. Trust me, I’ve been there.
I’ve come from places of deep insecurity, to not knowing who the heck I was, to becoming content with myself, pushing myself, and striving to be the best version of myself yet.
For sure, it’s still a work in progress, but I can tell you that I feel way more like “me” than I used to.
So if you can relate to any of that, I want to help. Here are a few tips I’ve put together so you can try to feel more like yourself again.
1 | Pick up a hobby that you used to have but haven’t had much time for recently
When I was in middle school and high school, I used to love to write. I felt like it was something that was unique to me that I was good at. When I got older, however, I didn’t have time for writing anymore, other than the occasional love note to Josh, and even those starting coming less and less frequently.
By the time David was around 6 months old and I was still working full time, I felt my my life was defined by dirty diapers, laundry, and cooking. It kind of felt like life was a blur of the same thing each day, and that didn’t sit well with me.
I had played with the idea of starting a blog but for a while kept telling myself that it was silly and that I could never be a “blogger.”
When I couldn’t shake the idea, though, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just do it! Well, that’s not entirely true, ha. I didn’t actually tell anyone I had a blog for a long time. But even without anyone knowing about my little blog, I started to feel a piece of me returning.
I was doing something again that I had forgotten how much I loved! Looking back, I cringe at how I stumbled over my words in the first few blog posts, but I remember having so much fun doing it! And, eventually, I got the hang of it again.
What’s something that you used to do that you’ve let fall to the wayside the past few years? Could you dedicate one night a week to pick it back up again?
2 | Start something new
I’ll be honest. I like my comfort zone. It’s cozy in here. No one judges me in here. I know exactly what I’m doing in here.
But, my comfort zone isn’t the place where I grow. It’s not the place where I make meaningful connections, learn new things, or even am a good example to my kids. It’s just – safe.
Trying something new doesn’t need to take a lot of commitment. It simply needs a little dedicated time.
A couple weeks ago, my cute but embarrassingly inflexible husband asked if we could start working 15-20 minutes of yoga into our morning routine. I wish I could have seen my face when he asked me that, talk about someone who doesn’t like trying new things.
But I said, “Ok!”
Around the same time, I decided to start practicing Jiu-Jitsu as a workout, outlet, and a way to meet new people. I attend a 1-hour session with about 10 other women Saturday mornings. And that’s as committed as I need to be to my new thing these days.
Trying new thing doesn’t need to take up a lot of time or effort. What you are able to fit into your schedule can help you feel like you’re doing something for you all the while you’re taking steps to improve yourself, be creative, or just having fun!
3| Take inventory on yourself each day
Think about how you’re currently feeling, what you might need, and how you’re treating others. How has your attitude been today so far? What about this week? This year?
I don’t believe that we can give, or “pour into” others unless we’re also filling up our cup. But I also think that this looks different than what we’re often told we need.
At the end of the day, a pedicure might make us feel pretty or happy for a while, but it doesn’t erase issues with family relationships, financial stress, overall business, social media addiction, and comparison.
Self care should be much more about taking inventory on yourself, figuring out where you’re lacking, and working to build yourself up in those areas.
For example, when I feel stressed, I often busy myself with things that aren’t important and in turn I’m way more likely to be impatient with my family. When that happens, the best self-care I can do is slow down and figure out what’s really going on.
Then, I can think about the things I can do to help remove the stress I’m feeling.
Do I need to ask for help?
Have I been procrastinating and I simply just need to put my nose down and get work done?
Am I putting myself in an environment where it’s hard to concentrate or find peace?
Am I unnecessarily comparing myself to others when I have every reason to be content?
Try taking inventory by asking yourself questions like these to see where feelings of stress, inadequacy, or general “gloom” are coming from.
Who knows, maybe you just need a Sam’s Club run and some coffee!
4 | Practice gratitude.
Yes, practice. Gratitude isn’t something that comes all that naturally. What comes naturally is noticing the things in our lives that aren’t there.
The other day while Josh and I were in the car driving home from a fun time with family, I looked down at my outfit and started thinking about what I wished was different about it.
I stopped myself mid-thought. What on earth was I doing? I had just had a great time with Josh and our family and here I was on the way home wishing my outfit was slightly different. There is so much to be grateful for.
These thoughts are the thoughts that come naturally. We need to practice and create a new habit of being grateful for the things and people we have in our life. Happiness is a choice and we can reach it whenever we want to. We just need to decide when that happens.
5 | Crop out excess in your life
I’m very grateful to say that the Damon fam is in a good place with this right now. But I know what it’s like to feel like there is always something that needs to get done, always a place to be, and always someone we need to follow up with.
This is another place where we frequently need to take inventory and asses what’s necessary in our lives and what is more or less “busywork.” If you’re feeling stressed out, is there something that can be cut out of your schedule? If not now, maybe in the next couple of months?
6 | Nurture your relationships
It’s not easy making mom friends. It takes effort and, frankly, it’s a lot easier to just disappear into a hole and never have to talk to anyone ever again.
But those holes do get lonely.
One of the best things Josh and I ever did (period) was join a small group at our church. Before we did, we had no friends that were parents (we were the first of our friends to get married, let alone have a baby the next year).
Building a community for ourselves really helped us to shift our inward facing perspectives, outward. Instead of thinking about our schedules and our needs, we were now thinking about how we could be there for others and meet their needs.
It sounds backward, but it was so freeing.
How can you build up a community around you and your family?
7 | Take care of yourself
I mentioned before that I used to struggle with insecurities and self-confidence. That’s more or less an understatement- they defined my life.
Starting to go to the gym was one of the scariest things I ever did for myself.
“Sure, let’s make the insecure person put on tight pants and walk into a brand new place filled with strangers and try some new and difficult things for the first time ever in front of everybody.”
The thing is, the more effort I put into taking care of myself, the less time I spent focussed on my imperfections.
I know I’m not the only one who says this. Talk to anyone who’s been working out, eating healthy, and thinking about their nutrition for at least 6 months and ask them about their confidence levels. They’ll tell you that they’ve never been better.
Sometimes, some of the changes we feel in ourselves happen over time, or because of an event that took place. I had a hard time “bouncing back” after my pregnancy with Evy. I had to be extremely intentional about my nutrition and fitness routine.
The times when I was inconsistent with my vitamins and supplements as well as my fitness routines, were the times when I didn’t feel like myself at all.
If I could suggest a brand of vitamins for you to incorporate into your daily routine, it’d be Rainbow Light Vitamins. I’m truly impressed with the measures they take and creating a vitamin with the best quality, all while packing in a huge amount of vitamins, minerals, superfoods, probiotics, and plant-sourced enzymes. They promote energy with Women’s Vitality Blend & potent B complex, support bone and immune health with antioxidant vitamins C & E, plus vitamin D, and they’re easy to digest.
Not to mention the fact that I love their heart and mission. This year, Rainbow Light will hand deliver vitamins to 25 locations right here in the United States in honor of their 25th Anniversary as a founding partner of Vitamin Angels, a charity that provides lifesaving vitamins to mothers and children at risk of malnutrition. purchase your Rainbow Light today
Help save newborn lives here and around the globe – purchase Rainbow Light Women’s One or Prenatal One or share Rainbow Light’s Shine Your Light campaign on Instagram or Twitter and they’ll make a donation to Vitamin Angels, up to $25,000. Visit RainbowLight.com for official rules and to learn more.
