5 Tips To Reduce Mummy Stress
Eating the right food that gives your body nourishment will reduce stress on your body, allowing it to strengthen and rebuild. I love that I have the tools to use in my own life, and that I have helped close to 100 others discover, to understand what foods are right for each unique body.
I have to admit, I always thought I was a healthy eater. We hardly ever had takeaways, most of the food we ate was home-cooked, and I was in relatively good health. It wasn’t until I had to remove many foods from my diet in order to continue breastfeeding my son with allergies, that I learnt what vibrant really felt like. Although I went back to my usual way of eating once I weaned him, I now had a taste of what amazing felt like, without sugar cravings, without afternoon tiredness, waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day, no bloating, stable emotions…
Through my learning in the last couple of years (from my own health journey and that of my family, and through my training as a Certified Health Coach) I have finally learned what food fuels my unique body, and now I have the blueprint for getting back to that fabulous vibrant feeling. Lets keep it real, of course I have times when I deviate from that, which is why I believe in a detox/reboot with each season, but the empowerment that comes with knowing what I can do is fantastic.
I can help you learn the same. There is still time to join me on Fuel 28, a 28 day transformational food and wellness programme, designed especially for you! It runs from September 1- 28, with registrations closing this Sunday morning 8am BST (Sunday 7pm NZST). This programme includes plenty of individual support to keep you on track and accountable. You can read more about FUEL 28 here, or sign up directly here. This is the one and only chance in 2014 to join this programme, it is not scheduled to run again until early 2015.
Another way that I rebuild and nourish, and also included in the programme, is learning tools to de-stress. I realised in my busy life I have to find time for me – which as all Mummy’s know is easier said than done. Eating the right foods are essential for the health of my body, and carving out me-time is vital for the health of my mind.
As parents we give so much of ourselves to our children and often not enough to ourselves (and sometimes our partners miss out too). Dad’s also often struggle with this – my fabulous hubby gives so much to his work and to us that he also has to deliberately prioritise time for himself and create balance in his life.
Here are my 5 Top Tips to Decrease Mummy Stress:
1. SCHEDULING Me Time. I do this in my diary and on my calendar as if it was an appointment. How often would you miss an appointment with a client or for your child’s health? Never right? But you no what – it is actually okay to allow yourself to look after you – and that involves time for just you! Many of us have had people in our lives that have given a message that life as a Mum is meant to be about martyrdom, but it is time to release that and recognise it as being their truth – not yours.
I realise that your day’s with young children can be unpredictable, so find times you are most likely to be able to keep. For me this means getting up at 5am to give me a couple of hours on my own before the kids get up.
2. Forcing myself to SLOW DOWN. I will admit this is a tough one for me – as anyone who knows me knows I love to be on the go and have several challenges on the go at once. The thing is these choices can lead to exhaustion and burnout, which I have experienced several times in my life when I realised my body was completely out of balance. I felt tired (and probably moody!) and I was experiencing allergic reactions to foods I could typically eat with no problem. Coping with the tasks of looking after the family became nearly impossible at times, especially when our third child was experiencing health issues that had us in and out of hospital in her first year.
Many of my clients have experienced some form of burnout, and in turn are dealing with poor sleep, food intolerances, allergies, poor digestions, weight gain or weight loss or metabolism issues.
3. Changing the lens with which I see my CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR.
I love this quote, from Bonnie Harris, director of Connective Parenting. It reminds me to take a step back from the emotion and the behavior and really look at what is going on for my child. This allows us as the parents to be more compassionate, and guide our children from resistance to co-operation.
4. Create MINI-BREAKS throughout your day. With the age my children are currently at it is relentless, and getting even 5 minutes to myself in the day in tricky – but not impossible. I create little blocks of time, just 5 minutes here and there, that feel like they are about me. Yes – sometimes that mean shutting myself in the bathroom and locking that door, but other times it is making a lovely herbal tea (I have quite some collection) or adding some divine essential oils to the oil burner. Other times it is spending 5 minutes on my rebounder. If all the kids are engaged and happy, rather than racing through the next job, take 5 minutes to do some stretching or deep breathing. It has been proven that any of these things can improve circulation, mental clarity and reset your nervous system.
5. Eat to fuel your body and mind. This is really key for me. When I am not eating well (not eating enough, or eating the wrong foods for me) that alone creates stress. It took me a while to be aware of the food-mood connection, but I know recognise that things can all feel too much when I don’t have the right nutrients on board. I can feel jittery after too much sugar, in the same way that I do after too much coffee (which I rarely ever drink), and I get emotional when I haven’t had enough food. For me I always aim for optimal nutrition over adequate nutrition.
In fact there are now scientific studies showing the connection between food and mood. There are the obvious things such as low blood sugars affecting our mood, and responses to artificial chemicals in foods, as well as studies showing the effect that low levels of omega-3 have on depression, zinc on eating disorders, and certain B-vitamins on schizophrenia.
Let me teach you how eat right, and find time to honor you despite your busy life through Fuel 28. This 28-day Food and Wellness Transformational Programme runs from September 1-28, registrations close at 8am BST August 30th. Find out more and reserve your space here.
