Self-care matters
As a busy, home educating mum of four myself, I know how easy it is to focus on everyone else's needs and neglect your own. I also know firsthand how easy it is to slip into overwhelm and burnout. It wasn't until I started learning about the importance of self-care, nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management and all the other ways we can look after ourselves that I was able to turn my health around and step up into a better, calmer, more energised version of myself.
As an integrative nutrition health coach, I'm passionate about helping others learn how to make simple but sustainable changes to their diets and lifestyles so that they too can step into their fullest potential. In my chapter, I talk about ten areas of self-care that are vitally important to our well-being. It might sound selfish to focus on yourself in this way, but in doing so you can actually show up better for your family and be a more vibrant, joyful, intentional home educator in the long run. A win-win!
As you read through the ten essential elements of self-care, give yourself a score from one to ten to see which areas need a bit more attention. Then, come back to it in three or four months and score yourself again to see how you've improved. I can guarantee that by working on each of these ten areas you'll have more energy and joy as you start or continue on your wonderful journey of home education.
Catherine Shelton is a proud mum of four amazing children and has been home-educating for over eleven years. As a wife of a talented linguist, she and her family lived for many years in a remote village in southern Russia, which is where they stumbled across the joys of home education. When they returned to the UK, they decided to continue home educating because of its many benefits. Catherine is also a Faith-based, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a member of the UK Health Coaches Association. She’s passionate about helping busy Christian women suffering with stress and fatigue to regain their energy, balance and joy so that they can show up as their best selves and flourish in a life they love once more.
