As a busy mom with so many external obligations on your plate, it’s easy to lose sight of the commitments you need to make to yourself.
Let today be the day that you slow down and reflect. Stop and take some time to think about what a satisfying life means to you.
Start with this list of basic promises you can make to yourself to stay strong and happy.
Promises to Make for Your Mental and Spiritual Wellbeing
1. Reduce stress. Chronic stress can take a toll on your body and your mind. Find relaxation practices that work for you, like taking a warm bath before bed or meditating each morning.
2. Continue learning. Your education is a life-long project. Broaden your horizons through reading, lectures, and classes.
3. Participate in meaningful activities. Pursue your passions, develop your skills, and build up a track record of accomplishments. Your achievements may come through your career or hobbies.
4. Flex your creativity. Creative pastimes sharpen your thinking and allow you to express your thoughts and ideas. Experiment with different mediums to discover your strengths. You may want to take up photography or write a novel.
5. Develop close relationships. Make time for your family and friends. List the reasons why you love your spouse and children. Give them your full attention when you’re at home. Schedule weekly coffee dates with friends to ensure you stay in touch.
6. Connect with the divine. Make your faith part of your daily life. Search for a spiritual community where you can feel at home, and share your journey.
Promises to Make for Your Physical Wellbeing
1. Eat nutritious foods. Treat your body to a balanced diet full of vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods. Cut down on sugar and replace unhealthy fats like margarine and beef fat with healthier sources like olive oil and salmon.
2. Exercise regularly. Incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine and workout at least 3 times a week. Do floor exercises during TV commercials. Buy a family gym membership.
3. Sleep well. Sleep helps your body and mind to stay in top condition. Go to bed and wake up on a consistent schedule. If you have trouble falling asleep, create bedtime rituals like drinking herbal tea or listening to gentle music.
4. Love your body. Appreciate your body for all that it does for you. Even if you want to lose or gain some pounds, you can feel good about your appearance and abilities.
Promises to Make for Your Financial Wellbeing
1. Stick to your budget. Put your finances in order by living within your budget. If you’re unsure about how to get started, pick up a book at the library or use financial software.
2. Increase your savings. Start planning for retirement or other milestones like buying a home or sending your children to college. Designate a portion of each paycheck to go directly to savings so you won’t be tempted to spend it.
3. Maximize your income. A little extra cash could come in handy. Plus, diversifying your income could help tide you over if you’re ever laid off. Consider selling a service or crafts for extra income.
4. Pay off your debts. It’s hard to enjoy peace of mind if bill collectors are on your trail. Address the issue head on. You may be able to negotiate a payment plan that will give you a fresh start.
Taking care of yourself gives you the ability to succeed in life and share your gifts with others.
Make some meaningful promises today that will brighten your future and help you fulfill your dreams.
I want to hear from you!
What are your tips for maintaining greater health & happiness? Please join the discussion in the comments section below.
Comments 37
Great advice! My favorite and one that I live is 1. Reduce Stress. I tend to remove myself and abstain from negative situations and people. I try to think positive and see the bright side.
I think making yoga a priority for me would really help both my physical and spiritual wellbeing. Thank you so much for sharing.
These are such great suggestions. I have really been working hard on reducing stress in my life. Thank you so much for these suggestions.
I love that you put the title as “promises”. This is a great way to think of it. Promises to yourself to increase your overall wellbeing. This is great. You owe it to yourself! Love it.
Thanks for the great tips!!
Great tips. I need to do some of these. I am less happy than I usually am. I am finding people to be annoying. I need to get centered again. I need to take time for me. My soul needs it.
These are all great tips. I tend to focus on the bad in the world which makes me very unhappy.
For me, I like feeling as though I have had one thing that I set aside to do in a day, and accomplished it. I like the feeling of satisfaction from a job well-done.
Your tips really do help with mental and spiritual wellbeing. I take your tips as a guide and it really had improving results as far as connect with divine. Stress comes in when it comes to work but I really love the tips on sleeping with herbal tea. You are such an inspiration!
I think developing relationships is key to health and happiness.
These tips are definitely helpful. I just really need to stick to it!!!
These are awsome tips thanks for sharing.
Great ideas. I recently started walking daily and the doctor has taken me off all insulin. I’m about to walk right out of diabetes she said.
Great tips. Some of them already worked for me:)
This is such a helpful post. We definitely need to remember to take care of ourselves. Happy moms mean happy children.
Awesome, if only I can adhere to all the rules! Having severe clinical depression most my life, this sounds wonderful but implementing all of it is a different story…. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these great tips.
These are awsome tips thanks for sharing.
I love how you organized the promises into categories. Great tips! 🙂
I am going to print these out to remind myself everyday! Thank you!
Thanks for the great tips .
Hi Carin, awesome post! My tip is to not stress over things I have no control over
and do something about the things I do have control over.
As a wife and mother,it is so easy putting others first.But if we don’t fill up and replenish our own dreams and goals,we fall short.
Great tips!
Great pointers made here! Reducing stress really optimizes stress and I could stand to check a few of these off my list!
There are lots of great tips here.
Thanks for the helpful information.
Hi Carin, my main tip for maintaining greater health & happiness is not to compare myself to other people. By refusing to judge my life based on how I THINK other people are doing, it releases stress and enables me to really enjoy all of MY experiences. I still love and focus on others when I’m being of service to them, but the energy for that comes from being careful to appreciate my own journey and practicing gratitude. Thanks for the powerful post!
Great tips thanks for sharing them.
These are all great promises to make to yourself for greater happiness. I know that I need to do a few of these things myself. I’ve been trying to eat better and exercise more. When I do them, I definitely notice a big difference!
Thanks for all the tips! I definitely need to work on this list. My greatest tip is to get a proper amount of sleep.
“Taking care of yourself gives you the ability to succeed in life and share your gifts with others.” YES and AMEN! Its a lesson I’ve learned over the years… and not the easy way. I’ve learned that if I can manage my stress effectively, everything else comes a little easier! And these days my handmade shop is as much my therapy as it is my hobby 🙂
All of these promises are so important. Sticking to a budget and developing close relationships are two of my goals I set for 2016. They have been difficult to meet but I am doing it and really feeling good about where I am in 2016!
You’ve made some very good points. Happiness and health comes from finances as well as just physical.
You know…things always seem to fall into place better when I remember to take care of myself and do the kinds of tasks on this list. I really love your financial wellbeing section, too. Such great advice that anyone can (and should) follow.
I think increasing my savings was the biggest for me this year. I use to have an account but had to close it because I couldn’t keep anything in it now I have reopened and I make it a point to put money in there even if it’s 10 bucks. Great list!
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Yes, saving a little at a time has worked wonders for me… it really adds up!