Self-Care is More Than a Pause

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.