77 resources to help you take better care of yourself this year

Hey mama,

I’m so excited that it’s a brand new year!

And by “excited,” I mean tired.

But whatever. It’s not like I expected this mothering/homeschooling thing to be easy every minute … Because pretty much every minute we are with our people.

If you are an introvert like me, that feels like sort of a trick.

I love them. I adore them. But I also learned a while back that I need some solo time to recharge or else I turn into a screaming beast.

I don’t think this is exclusively an introvert thing. I suspect that a lot of us homeschooling mamas crave a break once in a while.

And we also might need a little boost to take good care of ourselves. I am a firm believer that caring for ourselves is an investment, that keeps us from crying in Target dressing rooms.

So today I wanted to share just a few ideas to help you take good care of yourself this year. Below are some resources that might help you rest, restore and recharge.

I think all three of those Rs are really important. I think when we’re getting a chance to fill ourselves up again, it benefits everyone.

OK. Let’s do this.

BOOKS

• Permission Granted by Melissa Camara Wilkins
• Introverted Mom by Jamie Martin
• The Crosswicks Journal series by Madeleine L’Engle
• Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
• Quiet by Susan Cain
• The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron
• Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker
• Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
• Almost Everything by Anne Lamott
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
• Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman
• Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison
• For The Love by Jen Hatmaker
• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

APPS

• Pray As You Go – mobile prayer app from the Jesuit Ministries
• Sleep Pillow – white noise
• Virtual Hope Box – coping techniques, relaxation + distraction
• Plant Nanny – stay hydrated
• Headspace – meditation
• #selfcare – breathing, puzzles and more
• Me. – calm, sleep, meditate
• Calm – meditation, sleep, stress reduction
• Insight Timer – meditation
• YogaGlo – yoga and meditation
• Grateful – gratitude journal
• Pzizz – sleep
• Habitica – game-based habit tracker
• Twilight – blue light filter
• Pacifica – anxiety/depression
• (not technically an app, but for yoga, Yoga with Adriene on YouTube)
• FitFusion (streaming workouts from Jillian Michaels and others)

COZY

PAMPERING

REST

ORGANIZE

• notebook
• pens
• book darts
• travel mug
• Pam’s meal planning course
• Mystie’s Simplified Organization e-course
• gratitude journal
• water bottle
• charging station
• vitamin organizer 

It’s so important to take care of you, because you are the one who takes care of everyone.

I promise, self-care (as cliche as it sounds) is an investment, and you’ll be amazed at the returns in your home and beyond.