5 Ways To Take Care of Yourself | Smile Brilliant
With each season of change, women need to learn to take better care of themselves. Here are 5 Ways To Take Care of Yourself and remember to put yourself first sometimes.
Women are tireless caregivers. It is a fact. We devote our lives to ensuring that our children, our husbands, our parents, our in-laws and even our friends are nurtured and loved. We basically are super proud of how much we do for the people we love. But somewhere in this processing of loving on everyone, we forget to take care of ourselves, or to be our best versions. Sadly, time spent on self-care and attention to oneself is the first thing to go in a busy mom's life.
I received product from Smile Brilliant for free. All other expenses were paid by myself and as always, my opinions and thoughts are 100% my own. I was not compensated in any manner. #SmileFearlessly
When I began dating my husband, I worked full-time, but I also took care of myself, really well. I exercised every day, I had my hair and nails done regularly, I ate healthy meals and I spent time with friends and family. I focused as much on the outside as I did on the inside. When I got married, I really focused on the outside, because I wanted to look and feel my very best at my wedding.
I exercised, I had facials, I primped and groomed and I was fitted for dental trays for teeth whitening. I wanted a beautiful, dazzling white smile for all my wedding photos. I didn't have a bad experience with the teeth whitening trays, but I also didn't think my teeth were as white as I had expected they would be after using the teeth whitening kit from my dentist. I had spent a lot of money on this kit and I can honestly say I was not as happy as I had hoped. My teeth were much whiter, but I think I was expecting super white teeth that are visible on movie stars.
Now, fast forward through my life, marriage, three babies, loads of coffee-fueled days, loads of sweet tea-fueled afternoons, loads of soda-fueled evenings, countless hours of driving my kiddos everywhere, countless hours of volunteering at schools, troop leaders, summer camps and church activities and various functions. I am utterly exhausted. Often times, I forget to eat, I never exercise, I've aged and completely lost all focus on myself. It is a good day if I can get a shower in before dinner! Time is short these days as I work part-time and I am a full-time momma to my little people. There is a lot of time that goes into planning a household with three very active children and a hubbie who works way too many hours and travels quite often.
In the process of caring and loving on my family, I have neglected to take care of myself. I no longer spend hours at a salon pampering myself, and I simply toss on sneakers, jeans and t-shirts most days. More importantly, I completely lost my dazzling white smile I worked so hard to get before I got married. I drink way too much coffee, sweet tea and soda and my teeth are being brutalized by all the acid I keep pouring down my throat. The dark pigment of all my favorite drinks are staining my teeth and weakening my enamel.
I was ready for a change and now that all my kiddos are at an age where they are not in constant need of my time (except to drive them all over the suburbs ☺), I have decided to begin loving on myself again. Here are my top ways to take care of myself again and to I try to these make five things a priority in my life now.
<DON'T FORGET TO PIN THIS FOR WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF>
5 Ways To Take Care of Yourself
1. Drink Water
2. Exercise
3. Relax
4. Eat a Healthy Diet
5. Don’t Neglect Oral Health
Maintaining good oral health is a good indicator of physical health. I have lovely straight teeth and actually still wear a retainer to bed even after all these years later of braces. But, as I stated, I no longer have beautiful white teeth because I drink loads of dark liquids. I have never really invested a large amount of money or time in OTC teeth whitening solutions, aside from before my wedding, for a few reasons.
“TEETH. They are very much in style.” ― Dr. Seuss
Firstly, there are so many options available today that I simply could never decide what was best for me. Too many choices made it all too confusing. Secondly, I could never decide if a solution was a scam. I didn't want to purchase a product that really did absolutely nothing. Even though there are so many economical choices OTC, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to try something that did absolutely nothing and waste my time and money. And lastly, I was really concerned about what was safe for my mouth and teeth. I really like my teeth and am proud of the fact that I have only ever had a few cavities in my entire life!
I have tried the whitening stripes in the past and can say these were a total waste of my time and money. These little strips of plastic wrap slid all over my mouth and all I did was drool all over myself. I bought the whitening pens and basically made my kids roll in laughter on the floor for hours whilst I attempted to keep my lips off my teeth. It was actually pretty hilarious! Whitening toothpaste and mouthwash did absolutely nothing for my teeth and I was too skeptical to every even purchase the LED teeth whitening system.
"And when you get your second set, THAT'S ALL THE TEETH YOU'LL EVER GET". ― Dr. Seuss
The custom teeth trays keep the Smile Brilliant whitening gel in place, surrounding the surfaces of your teeth and the trays keep the whitening gel away from your gums. I put coconut oil on my gums for an extra safety precaution and Smile Brilliant recommends this step as well. Using the Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening gel with the Desensitizing Gel will help reduce teeth sensitivity that can occur with the whitening gel and prevent re-staining in the process.
The custom teeth trays keep the Smile Brilliant whitening gel in place, surrounding the surfaces of your teeth and the trays keep the whitening gel away from your gums. I put coconut oil on my gums for an extra safety precaution and Smile Brilliant recommends this step as well. Using the Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening gel with the Desensitizing Gel will help reduce teeth sensitivity that can occur with the whitening gel and prevent re-staining in the process.
I will always have the trays since they are custom fitted to my mouth and I can whiten my teeth for the rest of my life. I simply need to add the whitening gel to the trays and wear them for a few hours when I need a refresh since my teeth are yellowing as I age. I can pop in my trays anytime I need to and reorder the whitening gel and the desensitizing gel whenever I need more!
I have created some small and simple changes to my daily routine to better take care of myself and in the process I have a much brighter smile!