Reward Yourself with Self-Care

I was feeling overwhelmed this morning so I took a minute to check in with my body. What does it need? What is my soul calling for?

I realized I had too many things on my plate at once, so I made some really small goals for myself, along with a simple reward for each one.

Self talk went something like this. Ruthie, if you get these dishes done, you can have a nice milky cappuccino and sit in your garden for a minute. If you spend some time replying to msgs/emails, you can then spend the same amount of time creating whatever your heart desires. If you sort through three boxes of yard sale stuff… you get the gist.

And this totally works for me! Instead of being overwhelmed with the big picture, aka workload, I can focus on one thing at a time and the reward that follows.

Sometimes, depending on how much motivation I need, I go super generous with the rewards. I'll give myself two hours of guilt-free time while I put the kids in front of a movie or take them somewhere where they will be entertained for a while. 

Mamas, it's okay to do that, you know.

We shouldn't feel bad about rewarding ourselves for a *small* job well done. Your mental health is more important than just getting things checked off the list. Do whatever it takes to stay in a good place. Give yourself small goals with big or small rewards today. 

You are worth feeling good about life. You are worth being cared for as much as your house or your kids are. So take care of your soul today. Not just your to-do list.