Senait on Self Care for the Cultural Mom

Submitted by: Senait Andemicael

Tell us about your background:

I am a first generation Eritrean-American. I have one daughter, Saraya, who she is 4 years old and a bonus daughter, Krystin, who is 29 years old.

What is your current work:

I am a Mompreneur and Realtor.

What is your current Self-Care routine:

I’ve learned the hard way that making time for self care is imperative. Otherwise, you are likely to suffer from burnout. Having a young child requires your constant attention so if you don’t plan out your self care in advance, it is likely not to happen. Therefore my biggest advice is to block time out on your calendar for a little me time.

Self care for me has meant different things depending on the age of my child.

1. Sleep

In the newborn stage, self care was sleeping and not feeling guilty about it. Sleep deprivation is real! My biggest advice is if you’re tired, nap when the baby naps. Yes the dishes, laundry, etc. may stack up but you will be refreshed ready to tackle it or delegate. Also at this stage, ask for help. This was the most difficult stage for me because I don’t like asking for help but quickly learned it’s necessary for my wellbeing.

2. Exercise

At the toddler stage, self care for me has been exercise. It’s a great stress reliever & improves my endurance. On slower work weeks I try to do daily activity from playing at the park with my daughter, to walking around the neighborhood or hopping on my Peloton (my self care purchase). On busier weeks I aim for 2-3 times a week.

3. Facial Routine

Now that my daughter is in the Pre-K range and more self sufficient, it has been easier to make time consistently for my facial routine. Most new moms may relate when you have a newborn you shorten all your routines and for me, my facial routine was one that took the cut. By the end of the day I was so exhausted that I only made time to cleanse and moisturizer. For the past few months I’m so happy to be back on a facial routine.

Monthly routine:

Aesthetician appointment

Daily routine:

Cleanse
Exfoliate (once a week)
Toner
Facial Serum
Eye serum
Moisturizer