Aaaahhhh, the topic that keeps coming up over and over with moms, dads, and well, everyone it seems lately is self-care. How do we take care of ourselves when the world seems to be spinning out of control, when so much is uncertain, and when there’s no time?

When time is of the essence, essential oils are one of my favorite ways to get a “jolt of calm.” Yes, there are other more meaningful and lasting ways to take care of yourself, but a lot of them are no longer an option after having kiddos!

I found it much more obvious and attainable pre-baby to do self-care; let’s face it, I had the freedom to move about without acquiring childcare first! So I could workout, dance, have meaningful conversations late into the night with friends, read, journal, go out in nature, and do other things that feed my soul– but now, not so much. Do you ever find yourself comparing to your former, pre-child life? How does that comparison make you feel?  I try to keep it really simple and I aim for doing one thing for  self-care each day so that I don’t feel dragged down by that tempting comparison trap.

Sometimes, that one thing is deciding to eat breakfast before noon! Lately, as EV has gotten older and more self-sufficient, the one self-care thing per day has been more spacious, like reading for 10 minutes before bed, going to yoga once a week, breathing deeply while I drink my tea in the morning, meditating for a few minutes during her nap. Basically, when I aim small and try to make simple things sacred, I’m a lot more fulfilled and satisfied with my life than if I compare to what I used to be able to do.

But, when I am short on time or patience or sleep! and I need some help NOW,  I diffuse peppermint oil into the air and I immediately perk up, feel more energized and focused. Other times, I turn to a little spray bottle of distilled water with lavender and chamomile oils that I spritz in the air, like a reset button when I’m feeling stressed.  Another mom pro-tip I learned from my sweet older sister was to spray a blend of essential oils (lavender, chamomile, and tea tree oil in fractionated coconut oil as the carrier oil) on baby’s bottom to ward off diaper rash. Every time I change a diaper, I’m reminded to breathe and let go of stress.

If you’re thinking, I don’t even have the time to look into how/when/where to get into this essential oil thing, here are some links to take the guess work out of it. One of my favorite healthy mom inspiration websites, www.wellnessmama.com has great tips and amazon.com has all the supplies you need, delivered right to your door.

Chamomile link on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8FZODW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lavender link on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZFAKV7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Coconut oil link on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKPGHDK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used little spray bottles like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010YFKO4W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Add 40 drops each of Lavender and Roman Chamomile. Once you put the oils in then you fill the rest with fractionated coconut oil, spritz, breathe, and let go of stress. 

And if you’re feeling creative, you can experiment with these other lovely essential oils for anxiety, too!  Dr. Axe’s website has a fantastic infographic and citations to articles about how these oils can help alleviate anxiety.

I would LOVE to hear how you use essential oils, or what your one, small, sacred act of self-care was today, or what you plan to do for your own self-care tomorrow!

It’s hard to believe this week was our last Afterglow group in LA. I’m going to miss these brave and beautiful mamas, and their babies who made art today! This was EV’s & mine.

#babyart #arttherapy #ppd #ppdrecovery #ppa

More Baby Art Ideas on Pinterest!

Y’all! I’m so excited! Mystic Journey Bookstore will be hosting my book launch party on Saturday!! The paperbacks are in my hand and are all ready for the big day!  We’ll start at 6, mingle for a bit and then do a little reading around 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!

I Gave Birth to My Heart:  Poetry Reading & Book Signing

Saturday, May 13^th  from 6-7:30pm

at Mystic Journey Bookstore  | 1624 Abbot Kinney Blvd

I’m having a surreal moment! The kindle AND paperback editions of my book are officially on Amazon and available for pre-order just in time for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month in May! Hooray!

I Gave Birth to My Heart: A Collection of Poems about Motherhood, Reimagined 

It’s incredible to see so many hours of writing, editing, and formatting take shape into the real, live thing! (I declare, it was more work to format the darn thing on their clunky site for kindle than to write it, but it was all worth it.)  I added it to the  Kindle lending program so more people can access it for free. We’re planning to do a book launch party on May 7th or 13th, location TBD.  Stay tuned!

Sleep Survival Guide 

Difficultly falling asleep when you desperately need it but there are too many worries rolling around your mind is the absolute worst. How many times have I craved sleep more than anything but simultaneously felt too amped up by all the things on my to-do list to fall asleep? Too many to count. And that, in and of itself, is crazy-making. There’s a reason sleep deprivation is used as torture. Ask any parent and they’ll practically give an oral dissertation on it. Some of these survival tips below seemed so common sense, I didn’t think they mattered, but it turns out, they add up. Turns out, I was just too tired to have common sense! And even though your baby might not realize the difference between night and day right now, these are the difference between night and day when it comes to sleep. 

If you can’t fall asleep within within 15–20 minutes, then don’t stay in the bed trying to get to sleep. Get out of bed and leave the bedroom. Tossing and turning, feeling upset that you can’t sleep won’t help you get there.

Instead, do something that makes you sleepy: read something uplifting, listen to a podcast, journal your feelings, write down your to-do list that is bothering you, eat a light snack, or take a warm bath. You will generally find that you can fall back to sleep 20 minutes or so later. Practice breathing techniques. (In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.) Do not do anything mentally stimulating such as working on the computer, and don’t watch television. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up

If you’re one of those people who can nap when the baby naps, great. If you’re not, don’t worry about it. And tune people out when they tell you to do that without knowing better that anxiety can make it really hard to sleep. That advice can actually backfire if napping keeps you awake at night or makes you feel more depressed because you didn’t accomplish anything else all day. (Ahem, me.) Not to mention, sometimes babies only nap for 30-45 minutes, which let’s be real, is only enough time to pee, check you email, and eat lunch if you’re lucky. 

Either way, limit caffeine to when it is absolutely essential. Try to stick to one or two cups in the morning, and then switch to decaf to get the sensation of drinking coffee without the buzz. The jitters from caffeine can seriously mimic the physical symptoms of anxiety, or worse, of panic attacks, and can dehydrate you as well. Check out levitybrew.com for “an enlightened coffee alternative.” My friend Kelly developed a blend of coffee, tea, yerba mate, guarana, and chicory root that provides longer lasting energy and started her own company. (Woohoo!) I’m good until the late afternoon with one cup of levity in the morning. That stuff is amazing!

Try to get your energy from your food as fuel. Reach for small, but complete (protein-carbs-fat) snacks through the day to keep your blood sugar stable. And stay hydrated, especially while breastfeeding. Keep a water bottle handy and aim to refill it 6-8 times a day.

Sample Snacks to Sustain You:

Chia seed pudding and fruit

Hummus and veggies

Banana or apple and peanut butter

An egg on whole grain toast

A handful of almonds and raisins

Smoothies  (my favorite: spinach, soy milk, frozen berries, and banana)

Hot chocolate made from soy milk and cocoa powder

Amy’s lentil vegetable soup

Your favorite nutrition bar (Kind, Luna, Clif, Lara, etc.)

Yogurt, granola and fruit

Bake whole grain/low sugar muffins or breakfast cookies on Sunday and eat them throughout the week (See: my recipe for Sweet Pea Muffins)

Bake mini, crustless quiches (i.e. eggs, veggies, and cheese) in a muffin tin on Sunday and eat them all week