When you’re a working woman with a busy career, or a mom who has a whole household to take care of, it’s easy to fall into the trap of not taking care of oneself and putting self needs last. When it comes to work or children and the household, most women tend to put aside the other things that they deem less important. Whether it’s buying something for themselves, indulging in a hobby, or spending time with family and friends, busy women end up putting their needs last no matter how much they want it. However, what women need to know is that self-care and self-nurturing are very important in living happy, satisfied lives.

What is self-nurturing?

            When we talk about self-nurturing, it’s really all about answering your wants, taking care of yourself, and keeping yourself happy. It’s about finding peace in the hectic pace of your busy life, or spending time to build your relationships. It is about finding time to take care of yourself and do the things that you want to do, or rather the things that you should do. Nurturing is really doing things that are beneficial for your peace of mind in order to live a truly happy and satisfied life.

Why is self-nurturing important?

            When you are a busy woman who’s juggling a lot, taking care of yourself and addressing your needs and want can easily take a back seat. Most of time, women think they’ve got too much important things going on in life that they don’t have time to think about themselves. On the contrary, it’s important to give in to yourself and self-nurture once in a while because this allows you to go to other things that are important as well – you! If you don’t allow yourself to enjoy your life and do what you want, you might end up resenting the source of your heavy responsibilities, or it can burn you out and exhaust you. If you feel exhausted or start to resent your role, you will be unable to perform at your best.

What can you do for self-nurturing?

Self-nurturing is actually really simple and doesn’t have to involve a lot of time or money. Here are a few ideas:

1. Find time to yourself – alone. Being alone with your thoughts rejuvenates and recharges anyone who deals with hectic work days or several children.
2. Some women like to create a “comfort box”, which they fill with favorite things like teas, snacks, bubble baths, or magazines. This is their go-to place in crazy times.
3. Surround yourself with love and positivity. It is also self-nurturing to surround yourself with positive people, as well as reconnect with those you’ve lost touch with.
4. Take care of your physique and health by learning how to eat right, getting enough sleep, and detoxifying.
5. Exercise! It’s good for your health and keeps your energy up. There are a lot of interesting fitness programs now like yoga or dance classes – a far cry from boring gym routines.
6. Follow your bliss by indulging yourself in a hobby, creating a mini business with your skills and talents, or learning something new.
7. Spend time with friends and pets!

Women forget about self-nurturing because they don’t believe that their needs are as important as others’. However, it is exactly because women spend so much time nurturing others that it is important to be nurtured as well. Take the time to take care of yourself and you’ll be able to be the best version of you.

            Written by Carl Mathis, author of Life is Pursuing Your Purpose. Visit Carl’s website at https://www.carlmathisbooks.com