A Guide for Moms + How to Help Their Teens Form Good Self Care Habits

Growing up, we always heard our mom telling us to have good self-care habits. From telling us to brush our hair, brush our teeth, and clean our rooms. We used to feel annoyed by that, but now that we are moms ourselves, we tend to do the exact same thing and share the exact same advice! (Funny how life works, huh?)

Forming good self-care habits truly is important. The best way to teach our children good self-care habits is to lead by example. Instead of our children just hearing us say that they “should do” something, they are seeing us live it out every day. We can show them how important it is to take time for self-care. Here are a few different ways that we can help our kids and teens form good self-care habits.

1. Exercising- Exercise not only gets you physically healthier, but it’s a natural way to help decrease depression and anxiety. Whether it’s walking, jogging, or doing home work outs, all exercise counts as a good thing! When your teen sees that you are making an effort to improve your health, they will be inspired to take care of theirs. They may not act like they are inspired, but deep down they see you making it a priority. You can even do a deep conditioning treatment with our ONE Avocado Hair Smoothie and our ONE Flaxseed Cap while you exercise! Killing two birds with one stone!
2. Taking Time For Self Care- You can show, and also tell them, that they need to carve out time for self-care. That it has to be part of a daily routine. It’s not always easy to set time aside with everything going on in life, but learning to carve it into your schedule is necessary. For example, when your teen sees you doing a deep conditioning mask on Sundays or a face mask on Wednesdays, meditating regularly, or whatever your form of self-care may be, they might not say anything, but they notice over time that you are making that a priority. Teach them how important taking time for self-care really is to you. Things like detangling your hair or shampooing it in the shower can take up a lot of time, but learning that patience during your selfcare is part of the process of the journey.
3. Talking It Out- Make sure and check in with your teen. Make family check-ins a regular thing. Ask them questions about how they are feeling, or questions like, “Where do you feel the happiest?” “What helps you feel calm?” Let them know that they can talk about anything with you, and this is a safe space. Even if they give you attitude, make it known that their feelings and stress matter to you. Does your child feel stressed or do they express to you that they are overwhelmed? Maybe it’s a good time to set up a self care session on the calendar with them! Schedule a girls night in with our ONE Girl’s Night In Bundle and offer for them to invite their girlfriends over for a slumber party! Chances are, if school or extracurricular activities have been extra stressful for them, maybe their friends need a girls night in too! Help your child figure out the best ways that work for them to make self care a regular habit.
4. Creative Expression- A creative outlet is a great way to release stress. What is your creative outlet as an adult? Maybe you like to journal, paint, or draw. These things are comforting, and help you feel calm. Encourage creative expression to your teen, whatever that may be for them. A creative outlet for them could be fashion, photography, poetry or music. Encourage whatever creative outlet that they choose.
5. Appreciate The Small Things- There is so much to be grateful for, and so many good things in life to appreciate. Encourage taking a break from your cell phone. Even if they gripe and complain about it, let them know that it’s better for their mental health in the long run. Encourage going on a walk and appreciating nature. Encourage appreciating the little things like a beautiful day or a beautiful sunset. Appreciation of health and the blessings we have in our lives. Tell them that gratitude is important, and a part of self care for our mental health. Taking the time to complement your child is also very important. Girls need to hear that the effort they make in their self care routine pays off. If they are having a good hair day, be sure to complement them on small things like this. It means more than you realize.