As mothers, we often find ourselves navigating through the chaos of our daily lives, constantly trying to balance the needs of our families with our own. Many of us struggle with feeling behind before the day even begins, rushing headfirst into the morning routine without taking a moment to prioritize ourselves. But what if there's a better way? What if we could evolve our morning routines to better align with the changing seasons of motherhood?

In this post of the Moms Without Capes Confessions of a Supermom Blog, we delve into the importance of adapting our morning routines to suit our current stage of motherhood. As we explore the challenges and joys that come with each phase, we'll discover how to create a morning routine that fosters self-care, sets boundaries, and brings a sense of calm to the chaos.

Embracing Change

One of the fundamental aspects of motherhood is recognizing that each stage brings its own set of challenges and joys. Whether we're juggling diaper changes and...

For the past 12 years, I have been intentionally practicing self-care every day, doing things such as moving my body, journaling, reading the Bible and personal development books, meditating, and more recently using a “happy light” and getting massages. Engaging in regular self-care has transformed my life in many ways and in today’s post, I’d like to share with you ten ways self-care has positively influenced my life.. 

Self-Care Improved My Physical Well-Being

Increased Energy and Vitality:

• Embarking on the self-care path, I discovered the incredible boost it provided to my energy levels. From conquering a half marathon to becoming a Zumba instructor, embracing Insanity workouts, walking, and hitting the gym, each step fueled a newfound vitality.

Improved Sleep Habits:

• Prioritizing good sleep hygiene became a game-changer, transforming me into a morning person. By steering clear of screens 30 minutes before bedtime, adopting a relaxed evening...

As moms, we often find ourselves navigating a challenging journey filled with love, joy, and responsibilities. I want to begin by sharing a bit of my own story, which I believe many of you can relate to.

Recently, I've been on a quest to find balance between my demanding work schedule, family responsibilities, and, most importantly, my own health. Like many of you, I've encountered obstacles that make finding "me-time" feel like a distant dream. But it's crucial, and in this blog post, we'll dive deep into why it's not just important but necessary for moms to make time for themselves.

Defining Me-Time and Its Significance

First things first, let's define what me-time is. Me-time is that precious, intentional period where you put yourself first. It's an opportunity to focus on your needs, desires, and overall well-being. Why is it crucial? Because it has a profound impact on our physical and mental health, our relationships, and our overall happiness.

Imagine me-time as a pause...

The results are in and it is just as I suspected- I'm a mess. I'm no doctor but I could just feel that I was all over the place, which is why I wanted to go to the naturopathic doc in the first place.

My follow up appointment is not for another three weeks, but fortunately, my sister-in-law is a nurse practitioner and can read lab results so last night I showed her what I've got and she analyzed the numbers.

First of all, my heart looks good, or all the numbers that would point to my heart being good- were well in the normal range.

TSH which is what they use to measure my thyroid function is high, which is somewhat surprising since I am pretty religious about taking my medication each day.

That probably has to get retested and my meds adjusted.

Uric acid and potassium are high too, which when I took it into my own hands and looked on Google, this meant that I was having kidney failure!

But, according to my SIL, I am not dying. I do need to make adjustments though and eat more...

Self-care is important for everyone, but it's especially important for moms. When you take care of yourself, it shows in your mood and overall demeanor. You'll be happier and more relaxed, which will make being around you more enjoyable for everyone.

But self-care isn't just about being happy and relaxed. It also has a direct impact on your relationships. Here are some ways that self-care can help your relationships:

1. You'll be more present and engaged with your family.

When you're taking care of yourself, you're more likely to be able to give your loved ones the attention they deserve. You won't be as distracted or preoccupied with other things, and you'll be more present in the moment.

2. You'll have more energy and resources to devote to your relationships.

When you're taking care of yourself, you'll have more energy and resources to devote to your relationships. You'll be able to give more of yourself to your loved ones, and you'll be more likely to invest in the relationship....

Everything you do now had a first time!

We all know the saying, "There's no such thing as a newbie," but the truth is, everything we do now had a first time. And for most of us, that first time is what gets us out of a rut and really makes us feel alive.

The problem with comfort zones is that they offer zero growth. We don't discover anything about ourselves when we're in our comfort zones because we're not challenged. But when we step out of our comfort zones and into the unknown, that's when the magic happens.

Everyday adventures (think small)

One of the best things about adventures is that they don't have to be big to be impactful. Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact on our lives. Here are some examples of everyday adventures you can try:

• Sign up with a friend to walk, jog, or run a short race.
• Take a day trip to a place you've wanted to visit, but haven't.
• Try a new fitness class.
• Take a class - language, sewing, quilting, soapmaking, coffee 101,...

Self-esteem is defined as the opinion you hold about yourself and when you ask yourself “what do I think about myself?”, what do you come up with? On a scale of 1 to 10, where does your opinion of yourself lie? Would you say you are a 10? Take a moment and honestly assess the level of your self-esteem and if you’re any less than a 9, then perhaps you could benefit from the strategies I’m about to go through in this post.

To build your self-esteem and to change the opinion you have about yourself takes intention and work. You can not expect to suddenly like yourself overnight. Sure, there may be moments where you feel good about yourself and experience some pride about a job well done but it is the act of reflecting, collecting evidence, and consistently challenging your thoughts and underlying beliefs that will ultimately shift your opinion of yourself to one that gives you confidence, purpose, clarity, and fulfillment in life.

 Become aware of and...

The effects of having low self-esteem are wide and at first glance may be surprising but if we go back to the cognitive model, we can see that what we believe about ourselves dictates most of what we think, feel, and do. Therefore your self-esteem is a major player throughout your life and when you don’t like yourself, or your self-esteem level is on the lower end, then much of what you are thinking, feeling, and doing are likely not serving you.

OVERACHIEVING

So, how does low self-esteem affect you? Some of its consequences may appear to be positive and mistakenly not attributed to low self-esteem, such as the drive for success. There is a large handful of overachievers who work to make themselves feel good and significant. They are afraid of letting others know they aren’t good enough (which is the belief they may hold about themselves) so they work twice as hard to prove otherwise. 

Tying your worth to your to-do list may signify you have low self-esteem.

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Stress: It’s part of life and while we would love to live a “stress-free” life, it’s highly unlikely, if not impossible that you’ll ever get there. So, what we need to do is learn how to effectively manage the stress we do experience so that it doesn’t cause adverse effects on our health and well-being. This is possible.

What Exactly is Stress?

Is there such a thing as good stress or is it all bad and harmful? Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from demanding circumstances. It is a burst of energy that can create a lot of tension if not managed in a healthy way. 

Believe it or not, not all stress is necessarily bad. You likely have experienced stressful moments that have motivated you to meet specific goals or to rise to challenges. When we feel a certain level of stress, we often feel motivated to get tasks accomplished. Stress actually boosts memory and keeps us safe. 

Not all stress is necessarily bad.

Our body...

When we refer to “the self,” all sorts of terms may come up, words like self-identity, self-concept, self-image, self-esteem, and self-love. What’s the difference and how can we move towards becoming our best selves?

Self Identity

Let’s start with self-identity- this is who you are. Self-identity is the awareness of and identification with oneself as a separate individual, how you identify and define yourself. You would describe your identity with specific and selective traits, qualities, abilities, and characteristics that represent you. 

An example of a self-identity is perhaps a role that you play, such as mother or doctor, or perhaps a certain trait that encompasses who you are, such as reliable or lazy. You can identify as a particular sexual orientation like as bisexual or pansexual or as a gender like or unlike the one given to you at birth.

A person’s self-identity is not formed from birth but rather it is shaped through life. Family,...