Wellness Routine: How I Found my Balance as a First Time Mum

How often are routines publicised over the internet? Morning routines, night routines, daily routines and the list goes on. But do we really understand what a routine is and why we use them? To be honest, prior to becoming a mum, I never really had much of a ''routine.'' Yes I woke up, trained, worked, came home and so forth but I never felt the need to have a set daily routine. This was completely fine until my husbands mini came into our lives. Within the first 9 months of motherhood, my routine was my sons. I based my life around him and his needs. For example, I couldn't go out at a certain time because of his naps, or I had to time my outings correctly so I didn't miss his nap window or leave his wake windows open for too long. Or, and this is a big one, I had to cram everything that I wanted to do for myself (reading) during his nap times. I was so engrossed in his routines and needs that I was oblivious to how much motherhood had consumed me mentally. At 10 months postpartum, I had burnt myself out completely and reached an all time low. My mood had dropped, my energy had faded and I lost all motivation to do anything (including reading). Postpartum depression had hit at full speed and I didn't know what to do or how to get out of it.

Luckily, I had my husbands support and guidance as he reminded me of the person I was before becoming a mum. I was someone who loved to train, who used essential oils daily and who enjoyed reading and writing. This was when I realised that I needed a routine for myself. As a first time mum, we often lose ourselves in motherhood, and that is common among all mothers, but it is extremely important to remember that we need to take care of ourselves in order to look after our little ones. This is when I realised that a daily wellness routine was needed ASAP.

A wellness routine is a routine that helps you cope with stress that life throws at you. Its not always easy to begin with, and I have to admit, some days I become a little lazy and put off doing some of these things that I will discuss in a minute. And when I do put them aside, I can really feel the toll it has on me physically and mentally. These practices are things that I do both on a daily basis as well as weekly basis that I found has helped me find the balance of being a mum and being myself.

Meditation, Essential Oils and Acupuncture

Meditation is something that I used to do A LOT when I was younger, (when I say younger I mean early teens) and its something I've been missing. Meditation seems like a challenging task and, believe me, it is hard when you first start. When people think of meditation, they think of 'switching off your brain' and this is is a common misconception. Meditation isn't about 'switching off your brain,' it's about learning the skill to let your thoughts that are bothersome and stuck to flow without causing stress and anxiety. Meditation promotes inner peace and a strong connection between body and mind. This is a good practice for those who are over thinkers or people who experience a lot of unwanted intrusive thoughts.

If you have seen on my recent instagram post, you would see my acupressure bed and essential oils. I use these to help with meditation. I will play nature sounds on Spotify, add some lavender and frankincense oils in my diffuser and lay on my acupressure bed from Neptune Blanket and meditate. Playing soft and calming music helps calm the body and mind, allowing you to focus on your breathing; an important practice we all take for granted. Lavender and Frankincense oils are both used to promote calmness, peace and relaxation. I like to add these to my diffuser or use them topically; either diluted with a carrier oil or on my hands to smell when I am feeling tense, stressed or can feel a wave of anxiety about to hit. I use essential oils for other things as well and create my own rollerball recipes, but that's a topic for another time.

My acupressure bed is a new addition and one that I am extremely grateful to own. Prior to purchasing this product, I had been seeing an Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Practitioner to help with my PPD and OCD. This has helped drastically with my mental health and is what encouraged me to purchase an acupressure bed. Between my now weekly appointments, I use my acupressure bed to help meditate at night. This helps with sleep, relieving stress and promotes overall wellness. This has really helped me meditate and its a positive practice that I look forward to at night.

In the mornings, I meditate but not in the traditional way. I use reading as a form of meditation. To all of my fellow avid readers, I'm sure you can agree with me when I say that reading is meditating. It calms the mind, allows our thoughts to flow and also creates an inner peace. A practice that I've slowly started to implement, which goes hand-in-hand with reading is limiting my screen time. Once I am in bed, I switch my phone to 'sleep mode' or 'do not disturb' and place it on my bedside table for the remainder of the night. Doing this stops the urge to check social media and limiting the amount of screen time before bed- because we all know how much screen time can affect our sleep. I also do this to help me start my days in a positive way. I absolutely hate waking up to notifications and checking my phone instantly. It has become the worst habit that I've been wanting eliminate for a very long time. Switching my mode on my phone has really helped with this. Instead of picking up my phone first thing in the morning, I pick up my book that I've left on my bedside table. I have found that starting my day with reading, whether it be for 5, 10, 20 or even 30 minutes has really influenced my mood throughout the day, and its also a way that I fit more reading time in my daily routine. This is because I am starting my day doing something that I enjoy. Therefore, for me anyway, reading has become my form of meditation.

These practices may not seem like much in theory, but when they're added to your daily routines you can really see the difference it makes on your overall wellness and wellbeing. These practices have gotten me out of the motherhood slump that I was in and has encouraged me to do the things that I enjoy to become a better version of myself. I know this post is a little different from my usual bookish posts, but I hope you have found it helpful and motivating to start your own wellness routine!

Until next week,

Andrea.