A new season has arrived. Given the events of the past several months, this spring might feel more like a fresh start than ever.
Why not embrace this rebirth energy to change up your routine and improve your practices? After all, human beings are the sum of the mental and physical actions they take each day. Here are four habits all moms should refresh this spring to feel renewed and healthy.
1. Update Your Morning Routine
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? If you roll over, grab your phone and check the news or social media, your initial impression of the new day could be negative. There’s time to dwell on the horrors of the world later. Instead, harness the power of this hypnopompic time when your brain is more creative to adjust your mindset to tune into possibilities, not problems.
If you must reach for your smartphone, use it to tune into an uplifting positivity meditation you can find several guided versions on YouTube specially designed to help you start your day. Alternatively, rise with a few stretches and keep a bedside journal. Sit in meditation for a few moments, then jot down a note of gratitude and set an intention for your day.
Once you have your mind right, it’s time to get out of bed and upgrade the rest of your routine. Start by paying attention to your hygiene many depressed people neglect to groom themselves, but you feel better when you look fresh. Brush your teeth properly, holding the brush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line. You don’t need to shower every day, but you should wash your face and sweat zones and run a comb through your hair.
2. Make Meal-Prep Your Mantra
Part of many people’s mornings is a healthy breakfast, but you might find that you lack the time. You won’t if you get your meal-prep game on-point.
Please don’t shy away from the basics because you fear that your diet will be too restrictive. All you’re trying to do is save time start by preparing the ingredients for those meals you know you eat every week. It’s much more convenient to choose a salad over fast food if you already have your carrots shredded and onions minced.
Think of this activity as becoming your personal prep cook. When you have stay-fresh containers full of pre-sliced veggies, it takes as much time and effort to make a healthy stir-fry as it does to pop in an additive-laden TV dinner.
3. Work Your Body and Mind
Even if you have a full plate, please make time to exercise. After all, you are your ultimate human infrastructure. If you don’t keep your body healthy, it’s a lot more challenging to do your job. Please do your best to carve out 30 minutes most days of the week to do something you love dancing counts as cardio!
You also benefit from stretching your mind. Let’s face it, moms, while tiny tots are interesting conversationalists, you only flex so much mental muscle demonstrating how to tie shoes multiple times. Research indicates that those who do crossword puzzles and other cognitive activities slow their memory loss if they later develop dementia.
Why not make these activities joint versions that you can do with your little one? After all, your children will adopt healthy habits more quickly if they see you do them. Sneak in a playground workout when you take them to the park. Go to the library together, pick out some books, and set aside 30 minutes for quiet reading time.
4. Connect to Something Bigger Than Yourself
You already connected to the ongoing life cycle when you decided to become a mom. Why not improve your connection with humanity as a whole through volunteering?
You benefit when you give back. Volunteering releases a flood of feel-good neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine that bust despair and anxiety. It also creates a sense of agency that you can make a positive difference in your world.
Here’s another activity that you can enjoy with your little ones to model healthy behaviors. Are they giving you grief because they desperately want a puppy, but your lease says no dogs allowed? Why not head to your local shelter and volunteer as a dog walker with your children?
If you follow a spiritual practice or religious faith, spring is the ideal time to refresh your belief system with positive acts that align with your moral code. You might be like many anxious to travel after nearly a year spent indoors. Why not consider signing your family up for that mission trip if you have the means and make it a two-for-one journey of good deeds and relaxation?
Moms, Refresh These 4 Habits This Spring for Your Best Season Yet
Spring brings with it the promise of renewal, perhaps this year more than most. Moms, please refresh these four habits for your best season yet.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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