A post by Courtney Imade

How to Embrace Your Inner Glow

Last year I gave birth to my first son on New Year’s day. I returned to work full-time 8 weeks later, and then when my son was nine months old I found myself unexpectedly pregnant again. Being a Mom to my adorable son Mason has brought me a lot of joy, but there have been times that I’ve struggled to balance motherhood and pregnancy, work, being a wife, grief (I lost my grandfather who I was very close to last year after his valiant struggle with pancreatic cancer) etc without feeling very overwhelmed. I’m sure many women can relate. Whether you’re single without kids, married, a new mom, or a seasoned mom, we as women tend to take on a lot. I realized that I needed to make some changes in my life to bring more internal balance and harmony, because no one can do everything perfectly but I’m the best version of myself when I’m not feeling depleted.

Embracing my inner glow

On Instagram I stumbled across some women who are embracing the “goddess” lifestyle. This lifestyle advocates for radical self-care (and the idea that taking care of yourself first sometimes isn’t selfish, it’s necessary). It includes being more in tune with nature, making your health a priority (both physical and mental), communing with other women, and recognizing that as women we are special beings endowed with unique gifts and divine qualities. I love any movement that recognizes how amazing women are, and found this one particularly intriguing because I think we could all use a little more self-care in these busy and stressful times. A couple of the advocates for this movement that I’ve been following are Latham Thomas (author of Own Your Glow, doula to the stars, and founder of Mama Glow) and Deborah Hanekamp (Healer and founder of Space by Mama Medicine- a unique space in Soho, lauded by Vogue, that offers workshops and events focused on holistic health). I’ve been learning a lot about embracing my inner Goddess and becoming more grounded, and think other busy women can benefit from these practices.

Here are 4 steps to embrace your inner goddess and get your glow on:

Practice radical self-care– Whether you’re balancing work, family responsibilities, or other potential stressors, sometimes the best way to deal with the overload is to just take a step back from it and focus on yourself. Anyone who depends on you benefits when you’re pouring from a full cup instead of an empty or half-empty cup. Practice radical self-care by doing things that relax and restore you often. Soaking in a hot scented bath, taking a relaxing walk alone, enjoying a glass of wine with friends, getting a massage or going to the salon, and drinking a cup of hot tea over a good book are all examples of self-care activities. Whatever it is that helps you to de-stress from your schedule, make it a priority, not an afterthought or a once in a blue moon activity. Pencil it into your schedule often, and make everything else wait while you take care of yourself. The world will still keep turning, and the benefits to your mood will affect everyone around you.
Meditate- Sometimes the best way to quiet a busy mind is to block everything else out and tune inwards. Meditation is a great tool for this, and doesn’t require any expensive equipment or special skills. Some goddesses enjoy using tools to aid meditation. I’m personally a huge fan of meditating with crystals, and you can find a lot of how-tos and instructional videos online. It’s also a great idea to journal about your life goals (and how your plan to implement them) after every meditation session.
Focus on what you’re putting into your body– Not only does this include embracing a healthy diet and lifestyle, it also means getting out to enjoy fresh air and sunshine while communing with nature as often as you can. Sunlight, air, and exercise do wonders for your mood and mental health.
Commune with other positive women (goddesses)– It’s important to connect with other goddesses and feed off of each other’s positive healing energy. Spend time with other women whose company you enjoy, invite them to practice self-care with you, maybe work out or take a yoga or meditation class together. This can be family or friends, but if you need help connecting with other goddesses try enrolling in a class, checking out a local meetup, or joining an online group for one of the activities that you’re interested in. Lately I’ve even seen a lot of meetups and retreats geared specifically toward women taking place in major cities.

These are just a few steps that I think are important for embracing your inner glow, but what steps do you take to stay positive and grounded in daily life?

XO,

Courtney