Your mental health and wellness are essential to proactively managing your weight. Setting aside time to care for yourself, while dealing with a hectic work or home schedule is the key to feeling less overwhelmed and puts you in the right mindset to reach your goals. SlimFast Brand Ambassador Deborah L., shares her journey to self-care and tips for others starting out.
I learned along my SlimFast journey that I needed to take time for myself. It wasn’t selfish to take some time out of my day to relax and focus on self-care. Let’s face it - if I don’t feel good, I won’t be able to help others around me. How I feel and act will project onto my family. I try to set time aside each day for myself to just be. I make sure I schedule time in the morning because starting the day off with that “me” time, like working out or something as simple as a morning coffee, helps set a positive tone for the rest of my day. Here are some things I like to do to relax and take time for myself:
- Going for a nice walk with my puppy, which helps me calm down and get in the exercise that we both need.
- Painting my nails. It keeps me occupied, my hands busy, and it stops me from eating mindlessly.
- Having a nice cup of tea. This also keeps me full without adding in any unnecessary calories. I started a collection of different mugs, so I try to use a different one each time I have tea. This keeps it fun and interesting. My favorite tea is black tea but I also enjoy mint.
- Going to the mall and trying on clothes! This gets me out of the house, and I get in extra steps and enjoy trying on new styles of clothing. I don’t have to buy anything, and I’ll still be happy just looking around.
- I also love using face masks and having an at-home spa day. It’s nice to take a bubble bath and relax.
It’s amazing how much the way I think has changed after losing weight! Before, I was super hard on myself, and rarely took any time for myself. Now, I know it’s ok if I have a bad day sometimes. I used to stress about getting everything done and trying to be perfect. SlimFast has taught me that I don’t have to be perfect every day to be successful. I learned to love myself and my body at each step of my journey. I know we are often harder on ourselves, but what I thought were imperfections turned out to be my story. They are beautiful and made me who I am today.
I am successful because I have failed and learned and keep learning on my journey. Life and weight loss aren’t a straight line and as long as I keep pushing and never give up I will always come out on top. But what matters most is taking the time to keep my physical and mental health steady. I truly believe SlimFast has given me the tools to succeed and be successful for keeping my weight off.
My most important tip for others looking to start a self-care routine would be to set time aside in your day for YOU. Treat this time as if it’s a part of your work schedule. Let’s face it - if you had a meeting with your boss, you wouldn’t skip it. This time is just as needed. Your well-being is important, and you deserve that time to relax and take a breather. If you make sure that you have time allotted in your schedule for “you time” then it’s easier to fit it into your daily routine and make sure you don’t skip over it. You can also get up a couple minutes earlier or stay up a little later in the day for even just a couple moments of relaxation. You can do this by setting an alarm or a reminder for yourself to take a minute to just do what you need. Trust me—it will change your mood and day!