As I continue to struggle with hypertension and figure out what causes me such stress I’m learning more about self-care and what this concept truly means.
I’m a work from home mom of three. I started working from home in 2006 when I had one child and was pregnant with the second. By the end of 2008, I had three children of the ages newborn, two, and six all the while trying to make money from my home computer.
Can you imagine the stress involved in raising two boys in diapers, a child in school, and running an online business?
I don’t know if I ever ran around saying I was stressed out, but I’m confident I was. You see, during this time I also got married, then divorced, and eventually lost the home I purchased on my own before the marriage.
Quite clearly my world was chaotic and stressful, this is around the time when my blood pressure went into hypertension stage 1, or perhaps it was prehypertension at that time. Either way, this was the time in my life when hypertension became a big battle in my life.
I’ve learned over the years what works for me and what doesn’t work for me. I’m now reunited with the father of my sons’, that one I married and divorced within a short timeframe and can relax a bit more.
I’m now able to put self-care on the front burner and start doing things to help lower my blood pressure. I’m in the trial and error stage right now, because I simply put – refuse to be on medication for the rest of my life to keep my blood pressure down {if I can help it}.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned about self-care is that it’s something that you can duplicate each day as part of your normal routine. This is something that can slow your racing thoughts, heart, and body as you simmer from a busy lifestyle of doing this, that, and the other thing.

Create a Relaxation Space
The first step towards making sure you’re tending to your mental and physical health needs regularly is to create a space to relax. Consider getting a lounge chair from https://www.sunpan.com/can/products/living/lounge-chairs and plants to place in a room or special space in the home.
This space should be a location where no one will distract you, such as family or electronics. The relaxation space you develop will make you feel at ease the moment you walk into it.
Delegate Other Tasks
Learn to say no to tasks that cause you stress. If you’re an online business owner, like me, then start weeding out the work that causes tremendous stress. Once you’ve done that, start delegating other tasks in your life that you feel causes stress.
This means using a service like Stemmler Meats to get your meat delivered so you can avoid the chaotic grocery store. It could also mean you delegate chores and meal prep to your teenagers, they’re old enough.
Consider a Pet Cat
I’m a huge dog fan, but cats have a purpose too. I mean they’re cute, cuddly and have quite the personality that could entertain you for hours. A pet cat also requires less from you because you only need to get food, water and a litter box.
When you’re feeling it’s time for a break, head to your relaxation room and grab the best cat grooming tools to groom your cat. This process of combing your cat as you sit in your relaxation room will help calm you.

Develop a Stress-Free Routine
Another way to make self-care more about a duplicated process than something you do when stress is simply too high is to develop a stress-free routine. I know we can’t have zero stress in our life, well we *can* but that’s a tip for another day.
Jot down what you do every day and find new ways to morph it into a daily routine that feels right. This could mean letting go of clients, re-focusing effort on what you do love, and pausing for family time more.
Paying attention to your reactions to stressful events during the day and what your triggers are can help you to focus on an effective strategy to reduce your stress levels and how you react to different triggers. Giving yourself time to relax and reduce anxieties is vital and using remedies that are known to help alleviate stress and anxiety can be beneficial to you such as CBD and Delta-10. Lavender is great for helping people to relax and using this in various areas of your home including toiletries can have a calming influence. Avoid products that will increase your anxiety such as alcohol and caffeine especially close to bedtime.
Trust Your Gut
Many people called me crazy throughout my life when I made decisions that felt right. I’ve learned to trust my gut over the years, and while I did have a 2.5-year period where I ignored my gut, I know my gut is the best thing to listen to when making decisions and won’t ignore it again!
This means when you feel fatigued, take a break in your relaxation room. When you start to feel hungry, listen to your body, and have a glass of water and healthy treat. This is the simplest form of self-care out there.
In conclusion, all I’m trying to tell you is that self-care is different for each of us, but it is always duplicatable. True self-care will be something that’s built into your daily life as a means to lower blood pressure, feel happier, and be healthier every single day of your life.
This is definitely a good point when it comes to self care. My husband and I are both so busy. While a break is helpful, it doesn’t recharge you much when you are thrown back into a busy schedule without having a change to really catch up or recharge.
Ohhh yes, I have 3 cats, I’m good! 🙂
Other than that, all things you listed are valid, self-care is important specially now, so thanks!
Yes self care is important thanks for sharing this I want to get a cat,my kids want dogs.
I love everything that is related with self help and all the tips you are giving are great
These are wonderful tips. I have been a lot more stressed myself since school started and we decided to homeschool for the time being. It’s hard to find time for yourself when you’re helping others. I often stay up later just to get some alone time. I need to learn to take care of myself more.
Self-care is very important to me too. I take breaks in between tasks and make sure to relax. Our body and mind need that.
It’s important to understand what it’s important for us and to take a constant care of ourselves!
Obviously, I agree LOL. Thanks for the shoutout! Glad you are taking care of yourself 🙂
We really need to make sure we take time for self care. It is so much better for us than we realize.
We all need to have self care to maintain good health. Thank you for sharing these tips.
I always wanted to have a pet cat. They seem so stress relieving because of their careless attitude. Hehe
Great post! Trusting your gut is so important – I am learning how to listen to my body more and more each day.
I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for sharing these tips.
These are all good ideas. It seems to be all about delegation.
Such a good post. I have had cats until the last 10 years of my life and I miss having one dreadfully. I think it is time to get one.
As a PTSD survivor I put a lot into my self care routine. My service dog has really helped.
We have two cats which help a ton! I wish they’d let me cuddle them more. I also read for self care which helps calm me down.
I really needed to see this post today. I have been burning my candle at both ends for a lot longer than I should. Right now, I’m down to a stub and barely some wick. LOL