Self-Care for Moms: 5 Slow Living Holistic Habits to Nourish Your Autumn

As a mom, you know what it’s like to feel completely depleted. Not only do your babies rely on you for daily nutrients (through pregnancy, nursing, and eventually meal prep) but they depend on you to fill their emotional needs, too.

The average American mom is severely undernourished and lacks the tools she needs to take care of her own body and mind. It’s no wonder self-medicating with wine, chocolate, and late-night Netflix is so common.

The good news is, there are ways to nourish and take care of yourself without relying on excess sweets or self-sabotage.

I find autumn to be the perfect time to reevaluate priorities. While everyone’s returning to school year routines, you can take a deep dive into the rhythms and habits that make you feel more like yourself.

If you are regularly unable to focus on one task at a time, feel desperate for a moment to yourself (think: hiding in the bathroom with a book), or self-sabotage with late-nights and high-calorie foods, this blog about self-care for moms is my virtual hug (and self-help guide) for you.

Self-Care for Moms: Intentional Habits to Help You Return to Yourself

Mom to mom, our lives are always going to be somewhat chaotic. There’s no way around it. Anyone who offers you total control, complete peace, and a no-mess house is either bluffing or has an amazing mother-in-law.

But there are ways to feel more in control, more daily peace, and less overall chaos.

When my clients start to add nutrient-dense foods (raw milk, beef liver, gelatin, and eggs) into their diet, they feel the difference. Their brain is suddenly able to handle more of the demands of motherhood. They feel energized to play with their kids, more creative, and less desperate to raid the snack pantry.

The same effect can often be found when adding self-care for moms, like these habits:

1) Balance Your Circadian Rhythm

What is your circadian rhythm? It’s a day-to-night internal clock that regulates your sleeping and eating habits, energy levels, and even body temperature. Most animals still follow nature’s circadian rhythm, but humans are usually out of balance due to artificial lights, societal pressures, and nervous systems on high alert.

If a crying infant means you’re up with the sun anyway, take advantage of it. Just fifteen minutes of early morning sun exposure can help reset your circadian rhythm, provide a boost of natural vitamin D, and allow you to practice earthing (the anti-inflammatory practice of putting your bare feet on the ground) first thing.

Take your babies, your coffee, and your breakfast with you. If it’s too cold out, just watching the sunrise from your kitchen table can help!

Here are some other habits that can help balance your circadian rhythm:

• Eating three balanced meals at the same time each day.

• Sleeping and waking at the same time.

• Regular exercise. (Intensity isn’t necessary. Try a nature hunt with your kiddos or an afternoon walk.)

• Low light when the sun goes down. Invest in a salt lamp, candles, or redlight glasses.

Children and infants are more likely to recognize and follow their circadian rhythm—which is why they wake up so early. By pairing your natural rhythms with theirs, you’re more likely to feel energized in the morning and less wired after dark.

Tip: Balancing your circadian rhythm requires consistency! Try these hacks for a minimum of three weeks.

2) Prepare Healthy Fall Meals (And Eat Them Warm)

The ancient Indian medicine practice of Ayurveda recommends eating warm meals in the colder months to provide gentle nourishment and warm insulation. If you think about it, our bodies already naturally gravitate toward this. (Hello, soup season.)

Another benefit of eating warm foods is that it’s easy to incorporate foods that are in season. Squash, potatoes, beets, herbs, beans, beef, kale, parsnips, apples, and cranberries are inexpensive and nutrient-dense.

Maybe a zero-effort box of macaroni and cheese feels like the solution to your never-ending exhaustion and burnout. But a nutrient-dense meal that’s rich in vitamins and minerals—like oxtail stew—can help increase your energy for the long term, so you don’t reach that burnout space at all.

In the United States, our soil is lacking in important nutrients due to erosion and irresponsible farming practices. On top of that, many people eat a Standard American Diet that’s heavily processed. Most of us don’t know what it feels like to be properly nourished.

In my experience, nutrients are essential to improving energy and wellness across the board. Most likely, you’ll notice the burnout is less frequent and that you’re not just tolerating motherhood—you’re enjoyingand embracing it.

3) Practice Good Skincare Habits

With cold weather rolling in, it’s tempting to slather on low-quality lotion or Vaseline and call it a day. Sadly, these products contain hormone disruptors, fillers, and chemicals that can do very little good for your skin—and lots of harm to your endocrine system.

It’s best to switch out any toxic skincare items, cleaning products, air fresheners, and candles for nontoxic versions. Especially when you’re spending more time indoors, removing toxins from your environment can help protect your child’s development, while removing excess load from your liver and relieving toxic burden.

In our home, we love using skincare brands like Farrow, Earthley, and Toups and Co. These companies use animal-based ingredients that nourish the skin with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. You’ll fend off dry skin troubles without adding toxic chemicals to your environment. Over time, simple swaps like these may help you eliminate brain fog, feel more energized, and set a good example for your kids.

4) Visit a Sauna (Or Try Other Gentle Detox Methods)

Depending on where you are in your motherhood journey, regular sauna use may not be accessible. If you can’t make it to your local gym or spa, there are at-home saunas and sauna blankets you can purchase to use at home.

Regular sauna use can help with things like:

• Increased blood circulation

• Healthy detox

• Decreased joint pain and workout recovery

• Collagen production

• Stress reduction

… Plus, it acts as a quick warm-up, especially if you live in a cold temperature area.

Sauna use is particularly helpful for moms who experience toxin overload—and need to find a natural way to detox. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that we’re exposed to more toxins today than at any other time in history. Whether they come from cleaning agents, tap water, pesticides, pollution, mold, heavy metals, or other sources—our bodies can struggle to handle the influx without detox for maintenance.

If regular sauna use isn’t in the cards for you, try other gentle detox methods like dry brushing, castor oil packs, relaxing exercise (like a walk and an audiobook), lemon water in the morning, milk thistle, binder supplements (under your doctor or nutritionist’s supervision), and ionic foot baths.

5) Revamp Your Coffee Routine for Less Jitters and More Nutrients

Slow autumn mornings are the perfect time to revamp your coffee routine, right?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to stop drinking coffee. But coffee itself does come with a lot of variables, and it’s important to recognize the dos and don’ts of consumption. Seriously, this is a self-care habit that can help balance your energy levels and keep you more present during the day.

Here are my dos and don’ts for coffee drinking:

• Do — Add lots of protein to your morning cup. Enjoy it with a scoop of collagen, plus a homemade gelatin marshmallow. This will add nutrients to your breakfast and (hopefully) prevent a jittery caffeine spike.

• Do — Enjoy your coffee with raw and grass-fed whole milk. Nothing like a boost of natural vitamins, minerals, and protein to start your day.

• Do — Eat a full meal and drink lemon water before consuming your coffee. Since it’s an appetite suppressant, coffee can throw your hunger and fullness cues out of whack.

• Don’t — Drink coffee that hasn’t been tested for mycotoxins (coffee usually tests high for mold

• Don’t — Drink coffee without some form of protein in it. The protein you add (whether gelatin, collagen, butter, or grass-fed dairy) helps lower the acidity and balance any caffeine spike.

• Don’t — Use coffee as a laxative. Coffee absolutely has laxative properties, but it shouldn’t be used as a tool to make you go (especially if it’s the only thing that gets your bowels moving). If you can’t use the bathroom without coffee, I recommend looking into your liver health.

• Don’t — Use coffee as your only form of energy. A healthy use of coffee shouldn’t affect your energy levels much at all. If you rely on multiple cups just to get you through the morning, it’s time to take a closer look at what’s making you so tired (and time to cut back on the caffeine so we can find the root problem).

Your Motherhood Journey Doesn’t Have to Feel Out of Control

Despite what social media and playground moms have to say, your motherhood journey doesn’t destine you for soulless exhaustion. Your main source of joy can be the life you’ve created for yourself, not a handful of vices you use to self-medicate.

All you need are the tools, knowledge, support, and nourishment to change your story.

If you’re interested in taking a deep dive into the habits, foods, and environmental factors that are impacting your motherhood journey, let’s chat. My specialty is creating a personalized nutrition and wellness plan that targets your weak points and allows you to take control of your own story.