The holiday season is fast approaching! 

Before we know it, we will be caught up with making lists, buying gifts, making holiday preparations, decorating our homes, and entertaining family and close friends.

But wait… how are mommies taking care of themselves? Receiving is a key element of the feminine principle. Because of our social conditioning, we do not recognize that our giving nature becomes very depleted if we do not address our inner balance.

When our inner feminine source is low, we become sick, reliant on quick fixes, become creatively blocked or chronically exhausted. Emotionally, we feel depressed, jealous, angry, and have an inner desire to scream our unmet needs. Spiritually, we feel disconnected, cynical, hardened, alienated, and starved. 

So what can we do to nourish, re-energize, and reconnect to our inner feminine? 

Here are some suggestions: 

• Meditate for 10-15 minutes. Find alone time away from our kids and family and be still… find serenity within. 
• Surround yourself in nature. Take a walk and appreciate beauty around you. Bring fresh flowers and plants into your home. 
• Receive holistic treatments like massage to relax our bodies, relieve tension, oxygenate our cells, eliminate toxins or acupuncture to rebalance and restore our vitality.
• Breathe… inhale to the count of 4, hold to the count of 7, and exhale slowly to the count of 8. Do this for 3 cycles to reset your breath. 
• Take a warm bath using organic epsom salts which does not contain heavy metals like lead. Add essential oils like lavender which can be calming, sedating, and anxiety relieving – Sing and play music that makes you feel alive. 
• Receive energy (hugs, touch, support, compliments, gifts) from others.
• Journal and practice the art of gratitude.
• Identify 3 new things you are grateful for daily and journal about one positive experience you had over the last 24 hrs.
• Practice 30 minutes of stress relieving exercise like yoga a few times a week to increase flexibility and enhance self acceptance. 

More about our Guest Post Author Dr. Donna Ruiz, Wellness Center for Integrative Pediatrics  

“I believe that patients have the innate ability to heal at the deepest, cellular level.  I provide them with the tools and techniques to experience vibrant health.”

Dr. Donna Ruiz is board-certified in Pediatrics through the American Board of Pediatrics as well as double-boarded in Integrative Medicine through the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) and the American Board of Integrative & Holistic Medicine (ABIHM). She typically see newborns through young adults (21y/o).  Being board-certified in Integrative Medicine has given her the opportunity to treat the parents of my patients and other adults using functional medicine to address their underlying medical problems.