Women empowerment is super important to me. For a long time, I struggled with self-love, self-
care, and work life balance.

My children are two years apart, so when they were 3 and under, life was crazy! CRAAAZY.
Once I became a mom, life got a whole lot harder, but the best thing about it, was that having
my children, helped me feel empowered in a way that nothing else ever had.

I looked a mess and honestly, the outside reflected the inside of me. Let me tell you about how I
made myself a priority and how it has made a world of a difference for my health and wellness.
For starters, having a Dominican mother is a humbling experience. If you have no idea what it is
like to have a Dominican mother, let me give you an example of what that’s like.

You’re a new mom, you have extra weight on you, your regular clothes don’t fit, you have no
time to do your hair the way you really want to, you’re barely sleeping, so you have bags under
your eyes… you get the point.

Now, here comes Dominican Mom, the equivalent of the most popular, put together girl in your
high school, looking you up and down in full on judgment of the way you look…yeah. That’s
what it’s like to have a Dominican Mom.

So, I dealt with my mom scolding me on looking sort of homeless, saying that I must do
something about it immediately. Then, my anxiety and baby blues got the better of me. And I
was also very unhappy with my post baby body. With that said, I wasn’t very happy. But I also
was not making myself a priority.

What made me shift? My children. The same ones who got me into this mess (I love you both
dearly, if you ever read this one day), were the ones to get me out.
I wasn’t as happy a mama as I could have been for them, and I wanted to do better by them.

So I did the following:

I started running and doing yoga!
Running has been a huge therapy for me. Not only did it help my mental health and sanity, but it
also helped me lose all of my baby weight. I started signing up for races, and eventually
completed my first half marathon. Running helped rebuild my confidence, get fit, and helped me
have some much needed “me time.” I also started doing yoga once a week. I now do it with
YouTube videos, but it is just as calming and helpful, especially on days when I don’t run to help
me stretch and relax. It may be something different for you, like a dance class, or pilates, but
whatever it is, find something where you can move your body and work off some stress.

I got a therapist!
Therapy is incredible. I cannot say it enough. I think everyone should have a therapist,
regardless if you think you need one or not. You do! Talking to someone who is unbiased and
doesn’t have any personal connection to you, is amazing. It’s not your best friend, who will yes
you to death, or a family member/spouse who may criticize you for something. It is someone
that gives you professional guidance, leading you to deal with issues and trauma that you may
never have worked through if not for them. To this day, I see a therapist weekly, and it is the best
thing that I have ever started doing for myself!

I started Self-Care Sunday!
It’s not always on a sunday, but you get the point. I started making me-time every week to take
care of myself. By this, I mean, do something that helps you feel good, in any which way. This is
pampering yourself, watching a movie, reading a book, eating your favorite meal, perusing
through a stack of magazines, scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest for hours, whatever.
Make self care a part of your weekly to do. I mean, I would say put it on your daily to do list if
possible!! Do something, every single day, to show yourself that you love yourself!
Which one of these do you agree with the most? Which one of these will you start incorporating
into your priority list?

DM me @anammartinez.now

xo,
Ana