How We Wednesdays ~ Take Care of Ourselves

I am linking-up with fellow bloggers Shay and Erika for their "How We Wednesdays" on the second Wednesday of every month! 

This month we are talking about how we take care of ourselves.

Back in July, I wrote a post about my self-care during the summer. You can read that HERE. I am also currently writing a research paper for my grad class on self-care for educators, so this post comes at the perfect time. Self-care is all I'm thinking about! I'm working on consistently practicing what I preach. I seem to have a history of binging on self-care and then ignoring it for too long.

As women, I think the best thing we can do for everyone in our lives is take care of ourselves. Women typically care for everyone around them and I know I can tell a difference in my mood, behavior and overall well-being when I am taking care of myself and when I'm not. I like to break self-care into three groups: Mind, Body and Soul.

MIND

I love to learn and always have. This is one of the main reasons I read so much. I am always looking for new ideas or stories to expand my understanding of the world. I love to take classes for work and hobbies. Learning and growing are an important way I care for myself. That is also why I enjoy listening to a variety of podcasts. 

BODY

Exercise is another way that I care for myself, but one I struggle to incorporate. It is a work in progress. I am motivated to do so because of the way I feel when I am consistently working out. I also find that choosing high quality, healthy food is a way to feel my best. Beyond that, I am so regimented when it comes to making appointments to monitor my health. I make a yearly appointment with my primary physician, my yearly woman well-check, a mammogram and my dermatologist. Every 6 months I see my cardiologist (more on that in a later post) and dentist. I actually make my next appointment for the following time before I leave the office and I like to stack these appointments, if possible, and take the day off. I am then able to squeeze in some coffee and a nail appointment while I'm out! I am in very good health, and keeping these appointments is a reason for that. I also like to include my beauty appointments in this category. Harcuts, color, massages, nails...you get the point. Keeping regular appointments for these makes a huge difference in my overall well-being. 

SOUL

I have mentioned my morning routine several times, but it truly is wonderful for caring for my soul. Beginning my day with quiet and prayer makes all the difference. I actually look forward to waking up to have that focused time. I am keeping a journal of who/what I am praying for each month and I can already see where God is working. Attending mass weekly is another way I care for my soul. I especially love when my family can attend together. Spending time with my family and close friends keeps my soul in great shape as well. 

Here is a top ten list of some of my favorite ways to take care of myself:

1. Pray.

2. Read.

3. Take a bath.

4. Shop.

5. Watch Netflix or DVR shows.

6. Get my nails done.

7. Go for a walk.

8. Organize.

9. Drink coffee or tea.

10. Enjoy a good meal and a glass of wine.

I would love to hear how you practice self-care! Help me with my research. :)

Join us every month as we talk about...

How We Wednesdays: Goals and Resolutions

I am so excited to be participating in a new link-up for the new year! I am linking-up with fellow bloggers Shay and Erika for their "How We Wednesdays" on the first Wednesday of every month! Today we are talking about how we do goals and resolutions. My favorite part about link-ups is all of the great tips I get from the other bloggers who join in. Here is the plan for the year:

Setting goals is something that has always come naturally to me. Once you start, it is motivating because you realize the power of having a plan for what you want in your life. One of the things I love best about working in education is that I actually get two new years; one in January and one in August when school begins. I like to set goals and resolutions that I revisit in six months to see how I am doing. It feels like less pressure than committing to something for an entire year.

(Image from www.pinterest.com - Rose Hill Designs)

Every year during winter break, Dan and I have a Goal Setting Date. Isn't that romantic? Ha! All kidding aside, it is actually one of the best things we do for our family and relationship. We either go to a coffee shop or cozy up at home with a glass of wine.  We use this time to review the past year's blessings and challenges, talk about our work, kids, marriage, etc.  It is amazing to see things we thought were far-fetched that have become a reality in our lives. We then dream up all of the goals that we would like to meet in the new year and write everything down.  To keep it organized, we use the following categories:

Faith

Family

Finance

Fitness

Forever (our marriage)

Friends

(...and because we ran out of "F" words...)

Work

Travel

Projects

Things to Buy

Some of these areas are practical and some are where we cut loose and dream big.  Each year, we choose a theme that we want to incorporate into the new year.  For 2018, our theme is Quality Over Quantity. We are both feeling a bit overwhelmed and want to take a less is more approach in 2018.  Our theme from 2017 was Be Intentional and we definitely want to continue that as well. We will try to carry this theme into all aspects of our lives from spending time with our kids, blessing others, work and spending.  

One of the best parts of this time together is reviewing the prior year's list and seeing where we crushed it and where we need to work a little harder.  We also talk about and record our personal goals for the year and discuss how we can hold each other accountable.  I love this time with my husband and being intentional about the life we are building together.

I find pretty planners and notebooks at Home Goods or Marshall's to record my goals and plans in. Although we use a shared Google calendar for our family, I still keep a separate paper planner for myself, one for my blog schedule and one that hangs in the pantry so the kids can see what we have going on that week. 

Have you seen on social media where people choose a word to define their year? The words are usually healthy, organized, grateful, or something similar. I joked with Dan that my word for 2018 is NO. :) I am at a point where I want to focus on things that are eternally important and bring me joy instead of being pulled in a thousand different directions. As I move into my 40's I find that I care less about pleasing others and more about building an intentional life. Goal setting is a great way for me to see on paper what I am choosing to focus on.

Do you set goals and resolutions for the New Year? I would love to hear your ideas!