Life happens, and life got low there for a bit. But I called in the reinforcements (grandparents) and have been crawling out of the hole. But what does that mean? How do you take care of yourself when you have messages like this reinforcing your bad habits?

1. Screens off, trying to sleep by 10pm. Can’t sleep? Read a book. Read e-books? Invert your screen to white on black. Don’t sabotage your melatonin production by shoving blue light into your eyes. There’s a significant connection between sleep and mental health. This is the way.
2. No more than 1 caffeinated or alcoholic beverages in an average day. That sound strict, but that’s a baseline. It’s too easy to make a habit of 2 coffees just to function and a glass of wine while cooking and another one with dinner and a nightcap while we’re at it. If I’m needing the extra pick me up, I’ll often grab a green tea latte. It may or may not be placebo effect, but I’ve heard that it’s a smoother caffeine hit and has mood boosting properties. YMMV, but any caffeine after noon has me tossing and turning all night, sabotaging rule number 1, and even 3 alcoholic drinks has me up at 4 AM catching up on all the anxiety I had silenced the night before.
3. Drink your water. I’ve been pregnant or nursing for about 4 years straight and my water habit is well established, but it really helps to get yourself a water bottle you love and fill it at least 3 times a day. I’ve started decorating mine with stickers and it goes with me everywhere.
4. Find healthy ways to treat yourself! I drink La Croix, and snack on raspberries, an apple, or a handful of almonds. Not only do they a positive impact on my health, but they’re keeping me from reaching for treats that are high in sugar, caffeine, or alcohol.
5. Take a walk. 10,000 steps is a good goal, but if you’re struggling to get out of bed, that might be too intimidating. Start with 5000 if it feels more doable, or forget the step goal and just try for a walk around the block. You might feel up for more once you get going. And if you have to dump the kids in the stroller with no shoes or pants, THAT’S OK! They might be happier to get a change of scenery and motion too. And that extra shot of vitamin D won’t hurt either. (By the way, if you don’t have a pedometer or smart watch, apps like Google Fit will track using your smartphone in your pocket.)
6. Meditate. I’ve been using Plum Valley app. It’s full of recordings from Buddhist monastics under the guidance of Thich Nhat Hanh. And they’re all free, which was one beef I had with other apps like Calm and Headspace.
7. Medicate. Whatever your healthcare provider has told you, do that. Obviously. But even if you don’t have any prescriptions, I’ve found that taking my vitamins regularly is a really easy box to check in my self care routine. Specifically, vitamin D and Omega-3s are highly recommended to boost mood. I literally put “Magic happy pills” on my daily to-do list. It’ll make me smile, if nothing else.

I’m not always good at sticking to these rules, but when it’s hard to put one foot in front of another, it really helps to know Past-Me cared enough to put this silly little list together to get me through the crappy days.