The Curious Mom

People who sleep well often take it for granted. Consistently getting a good amount of quality sleep is one of the best things for our overall health. Research has shown that approximately 70 people suffer from some form of sleep disorder. So if you’re struggling to get your quota of sleep every night, you’re in good company. 

A bad night’s sleep can knock you off your game the next day but not many people realize how much sleep affects their overall health. 

Insomnia can be caused by all manner of things such as stress, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, alcohol, and stimulants. 

Creating The Right Conditions For Sleeping Well

A good nighttime routine and a bedroom free of distractions are all important for sleeping well. Some people swear by drinking warm milk or taking a supplement such as melatonin or CBD oil, to learn more about its potential benefits. White noise machines are also becoming more popular too. 

Try and keep your bedroom for sleep, rather than keeping it piled high with clutter, or watching TV. Your bedroom should be a place where you can relax.

Everyone knows that staying in shape, especially in your older years is very important for your longevity.

Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to quit working out, as there are many activities you can still do to stay actively fit and maintain your shape.

Listed below are 5 different activities which helps you stay in shape

When we lose someone in our lives, the grieving process can be the hardest aspect to navigate through. We grieve after any sort of loss in our lives. But it is most powerful when someone we love dies. Grieving is not just one feeling, it usually involves a range of different feelings. Over time, it can help you accept and understand your loss.

Everyone feels grief differently and there is no right or wrong way to react. There follows some general information about the different reactions people often have. How long people grieve for is a very individual thing. It may be months or even years. But it won’t always be so intense. 

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Some of the emotions can be very difficult to face and some people might try to avoid the pain of grief. They keep very busy to distract themselves from the painful loss. And some people drink more alcohol than usual or use other drugs to numb the pain. But this might slow your recovery and cause new problems.

The most important part of healing is to acknowledge that you are grieving. Two main things that help the most with grief are time and support. You can't push the issue and force yourself to feel better.

It is important that you grieve for your loved one and allow yourself to feel the way you do. Here are some suggestions that may help.

It's one of the most intense moments in your life to be diagnosed with a chronic illness. Conditions that will change your life forever are never really going to become normal. We have our lives planned out and not once did we ever think we were going to either pass away sooner or live in pain for most of our remaining years. It's even more daunting when you have a young family to raise. A million worrying thoughts will go through your mind in a single moment. How will you take care of your kids, can you do chores like washing their clothes and cook them dinner or helps them with their homework? How long will you be able to manage on your own before the later and more aggressive stages of your illness begin to show up? It's an incredibly difficult set of circumstances. To stay on top of these challenges, you must plan ahead and change the way you live based around your condition.

Ask for help

Local authorities are one of the avenues you can go down to ask for help. Many local authorities will actually assign helpers and carers to families with parents that cannot cope with the number of things their children need. This may be to simply cook dinner or to help them with their homework. If parents with chronic illnesses have slowed down and are unable to provide the basics such as this, local authorities must be contacted. Such entities of governance will want to step in and provide some kind of support because the last thing they want to have to do is take the children away. So, it's within your right to ask for professional services from the local authorities to help around your home and make life as normal as possible while you cope with your health condition.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, what social background you are from, your ethnicity, gender, religion, or anything, there has never been a better time to be alive than now. As a society, we are so tolerant, so caring, so interconnected, so mobilized, and just generally so much more awesome.

But for all the movements and changes that have improved society as a whole, there is one that still hasn’t really got the attention that it deserves: looking after our elderly parents.

The problem most people face nowadays is, as a whole, couples are having children much later on in life, something that has seen more and more families have to care for their elderly parents at the same time they care for their young children, which has to be one of the most challenging balancing acts ever known to humankind. But not just challenging; complex and emotional too.

You’re having to balance your own needs, your family’s needs, your children’s needs, and the needs of your elderly parents who, let us not forget, are the people that brought us up. Nonetheless, it is this complete u-turning-role-reversal that is so hard to get used to. Suddenly, you are having to play parent to your parent and that’s not easy to accept or do.

You are, in case you are wondering, part of the Sandwich Generation, which isn’t just hugely under-talked about, it is also on the rise thanks to couples having children later, kids not being able to get onto the property ladder, and people living to a much older age. It’s tough.

So, without further ado, here are some things you can do to keep the plates spinning and the people in your life smiling:

1. Always Seek Some Support

Nothing is going to take the stress of so much responsibility away, not completely, but sometimes just having someone to talk to, vent out or cry with can lead to a massive sense of relief. We know it’s never easy, but you should really try and talk to your family and friends about what you are feeling and what you are dealing with. Don’t feel guilty for it because it’s a lot to handle, just talk. If, however, you don’t want to talk to people you know, try joining a local support group of some kind. What you’ll find is, well, you're not alone; your feelings are not isolated. Here’s the best bit about finding a support system though: not only will you be able to get the support you need or the advice that will help, but you will also be able to support others too.

3. Know Where To Care

It may seem like an unusual point to raise, but there are actually many options to consider. For instance, if your parent is determined to remain in their own home, you’ll need to assess whether you can realistically schedule time to support them yourself or if hiring a homecare visitor for personal tasks would be more feasible. If neither option is workable, individualized memory care services might be worth exploring. As mentioned earlier, finding a solution could also mean leaning on each other for support and working together to make it manageable.

It could be that you have a spare room, you might need to add a fully-fitted garden room to your backyard, or if mobility is an option, give up a downstairs room. Of course, if none of this is viable (and, let’s be honest, there would be a lot of stress and strain with both), you should consider more long-term care options, such as moving your parent into a care home. To do this in the most loving way possible, we recommend you keep your standards high and look around ones that still promote a lot of independence, offer a wonderful community spirit, and all the amenities a person could want.

4. Self-Care Still Needs Focus

When we were growing up, we were taught you won’t be able to properly look after someone else if you don’t take care of yourself first. And it’s true. Plain and simple. The problem is, it can be so easy to stop looking after yourself when you have to look after both your children and your parents at the same time. It’s natural to stop prioritizing yourself when life is hectic. Don’t let this happen. Our advice: pop a note on your fridge that reminds you to exercise, eat properly, get enough sleep, and see your doctor regularly. Don’t just stop there, though. Find a way that you can have some time too. It could be that your best friend can have the kids for a night and your sister can look after your parents, in which case go and enjoy whatever it is you love doing. The more you look after your own sanity, physical wellbeing, and mental health, the easier you will find it to care for those you love.

Like we said, if you’re feeling the pressure of looking after your parents and your kids simultaneously, you are not alone. So don’t let yourself feel as though you are and don’t feel guilty if you start to struggle. The best thing you can do is accept the hardships and then find a solution for them.

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Many mothers struggle to feel happy with their appearance, whether it’s a case of low self-esteem or the simple fact that they have other priorities in terms of their families and their jobs. But everybody should be happy with what they see in the mirror. Everybody should have the appearance they want. Whether you’re a young girl with all the free time in the world or a busy mother, you should feel confident about the way you look. It’s time to be proud of your appearance, moms. Let’s talk about ways in which you can make that happen.