After going through pregnancy, whether easy or full of challenges, and having your baby, things might not be as easy as you expected. You might even neglect yourself because you feel you don’t have time or all your time goes to taking care of the baby.
If you’re a new mom, it might seem nearly impossible to find time for yourself with a new baby at home. But remember, only by taking care of yourself can you give your baby the best care possible.
So try to set aside some time each day to care for yourself. This will help fight off feelings of frustration, control how quickly you get upset, avoid self-criticism, and protect you from postpartum depression.
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Here’s a list of some self-care suggestions for you :-
You might not be able to do everything on this list, but reading all the suggestions will help you discover ways to care for yourself. Here are some ideas :-
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Take care of your body by eating healthy food, doing some exercises, and make sure to get some rest periods.
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Surround yourself with support. Make sure there are other new moms you can always talk to, and meet up weekly to share everything new you’re going through.
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Express and accept your negative feelings, it's normal to feel stressed and upset sometimes while you adjust to the new baby.
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Focus on your positive feelings, find ways that make you feel good, notice them and turn to them often.
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Take breaks for yourself or with your partner, no one can work a job nonstop without a break.
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Keep your expectations realistic, no one can do everything perfectly. Work on achievable goals in handling your feelings, housework, or weight loss attempts.
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Boost your sense of humor, try to laugh every day, at yourself, situations, or anything really.
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Organize your day, plan how you'll spend it daily and write it down. Set times for each item. Make the plan flexible and realistic so you can stick to it.
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Postpone major life changes, avoid starting a new job or moving house until you feel more stable in your new mom role.
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Why is it hard to put yourself first? :-
Unfortunately most of us never learned how to practice self-care growing up. People often think making emotional health a priority means you’ll neglect kids or partners and family. Actually the opposite is true. The more you take care of yourself the more energy and peace of mind you have and you feel less stressed or resentful. This helps you get more done.
Here are some beliefs that might block you from taking care of yourself, emotionally or physically. When you try to take a break or care for yourself some thoughts might pop up that stop you from doing it, like these:
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Other demands are more important than my needs.
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My role is to take care of others, that’s what women do.
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I don’t have time to do anything extra.
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I feel selfish when I do anything for myself.
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I don’t deserve time for myself to do what I want.
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I’m afraid others won’t like me or will get mad at me.
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My mom never did anything for herself, so why should I?
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Nice girls often put others first.
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It takes all my time to do what I have to do the right way.
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I think I can be healthy without doing that.
Once you spot these wrong thoughts filling your head, immediately swap them for ideas that push you to care for yourself. Know this is a must-do part of your life to keep your mind and body well and give more.
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How to reprogram your self-talk? :-
One effective way to beat beliefs that backfire is to try this exercise. It rebuilds positive thoughts to help you move forward in health and peace.
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Find a quiet place and close your eyes. Practice slow breathing so your belly rises and falls for 2 minutes. Repeat with each breath: 'Taking care of me helps my child.'
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When you take care of yourself, like filling a pitcher, or building your bank account, or charging your batteries, pick the metaphor that suits you best. Imagine the picture in your head as you repeat the phrase.
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Every time thoughts come to your mind telling you something else is more important than spending some time on yourself.
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Take a deep breath and do this exercise. It might feel strange at first, but try it for a few days before judging its value.
