Happy women’s history month, ladies! Hopefully you’ve been enjoying your days but if not, let’s talk about it! As women, we so often give so much of ourselves to the people we love and even those we must tolerate. At the end of the day, it should always come back to us, our self-care and our sweet care! If you could use a pick me up or some ideas of how to feel your best through any circumstance, here are some strategies:
Substitute sugar
This one is literal but definitely necessary. Dopamine is a feel good chemical that gets released in our brain when we eat sugary foods. Do you know this feeling? If you’ve ever been stressed or sad and found yourself eating a carton of ice-cream or a slice of cake, you know the feeling. However, dopamine is also released during drug use such as when drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or taking opiates. Along with eating sugar, these acts can destroy our mood and health.
If we continue to flood our system with excess sugar eventually we become insulin resistant and this causes Type 2 diabetes. In recent years a number of sugar substitutes have grown in popularity. They’re beneficial because they sweeten our food and beverage without spiking our glucose levels. They also don’t include aspartame, which some studies have shown to cause disease. A few sugar substitutes that you could try include:
- Agave Nectar
- Monk Fruit
- Stevia
- Xylitol
Have a Spa Day
A lot of times a spa day is so overdue that it isn’t funny. Many times we feel like finances can get in the way. We don’t always have $60 for a professional massage or manicure. The good news is we can treat ourselves to a spa day at any time. Here are a cheap and easy few ways:
- Paint your nails
- Take a warm bath
- Use essential oils
- Listen to calm music
- Wear your favorite fragrance
We want to feel beautiful and not just for others, but for our own selves. Plan ahead and block out time whether you can give yourself just an hour or an entire week’s vacation, it’s an absolute must.
Spiritual Connection
Life can wreak havoc on our mental and emotional state. When we’re out of balance and off center we can feel disconnected in very deep ways. This can lead to depression and other moods that are overwhelming. However, if there’s one thing that can lift us out of a dark place it’s spiritual connection.
Spirituality can mean something different for everyone. It could be going to church on Sunday morning, meditating in a quiet space of your home or reciting a holy book of prayers multiple times during the day. The most important thing is to reconnect with something greater than ourselves.
Our spirit exists in a non-physical realm and because of this we often forget to care for it properly. Just like we bathe and nourish our physical body we have to cleanse our spirit of negativity. It helps to believe in something greater and that whatever we go through we’re not alone.
Takeaway
These are just a few things that we can do as women to be sweet to ourselves during this month of celebration. We work hard in our relationships, jobs and overall social sphere. It’s important to take time out for self-care so that we can keep putting our best food forward for the people we love.
Brought to you by health coach, Lisa G.
Thank you Lisa G for sharing your broad knowledge with us! At Compass our goal is to provide you with the education you need to succeed. Thank you Lisa for helping us to achieve this goal!