Boss Babe Tuesday: Self Love & Self Care

I usually feature an interview with a handpicked individual each Tuesday, but this week I wanted to switch things up a bit. I want to share some things that have been helping me, in hopes it might help you as well. I have been really into self care and self love lately. I think far too often we forget how important it is to take time for ourselves. I have a tendency to take care of everyone around me, like most moms I know, and I usually think of myself last. If we are having a beach day, I will feed my kids and pack them water and make sure they are wearing sunscreen. I always forget to feed myself, drink water, and often come home with a sun burn.  It's a personal battle to administer basic self care to myself, so I have been really taking the time lately to make more of an effort.

Another thing I've been working on is just loving myself more. It took me until 30 to really start loving my body. I think I have struggled with weight on and off since I was ten. My tummy has never been super flat, my arms have never fully been toned, and I didn't really match up to what I saw in magazines. I am 5 feet tall so if I gain five pounds it is noticeable. One thing that has always bothered me was that I have very thick calves. Even when I was a teenager and was at my lowest weight, I remember knee high boots not zipping and just really struggling with my appearance. It seems like such a strange thing to focus on, but I hated that part of my body.  One day I was standing there lamenting about how I felt my calves were my ugliest feature and my husband flipped it for me, he pointed out how strong my legs are and started listing all the ways the strength of my calves helps me and can give me an advantage in life. He showed me a different view and it made me think about all the other ways to look at different features of my body. "Problem areas" became something completely different. (Side note; my husband is pretty great at making me see the beauty in things- At times even myself.)

Self love and self care are not just being comfortable about your physical attributes, it also involves your mental health. It is common in society today to beat up on ourselves. I catch myself getting down on myself if I don't hit everything on my daily bucket list. Call it FOMO or whatever you want, but I constantly feel disappointed in myself if I take a day to just chill out. We are busy, busy, busy and are expected to be everywhere and do everything- but we are each entitled to take a moment and we are each allowed to just say no. Sometimes the best thing you can do is listen to your body and unplug.

Another great example of self love and self care is setting boundaries on who you let in your life. I like to think of my life as a little kingdom. There are people in my kingdom who are my core group, this consists of my very best friends and closest family members. Then there are people who pass through, they are usually coworkers, acquaintances and people that I enjoy but maybe do not share much with. One of the biggest lessons I had to learn in my adult life, is that you don't have to share your kingdom with everyone. If someone is constantly making you feel like your castle is under attack, you can rescind your invite. There is NOTHING wrong with kicking out the toxic people, especially if having them around prevents you from practicing self love. Sometimes it is hard to reckon with the idea that someone doesn't belong in your life at the moment, it can be messy and full of conflict, but at the end of the day you need to choose yourself.

I hope this small reminder helps you through your week. Please remember: You deserve to feel good about yourself, you are deserving of love, and you can do anything you set your mind to! Now go out there and have a great week!