Sara Campin is a mum of 2 (a girl aged 6 and a boy aged 3), a personal and professional development coach, strategy consultant and founder of Nourish. Here, she tells us about her soon-to-be-launched mobile app, which has been designed to support, motivate and inspire all mothers to thrive. Sara’s contribution to #thebigselfcareshare also covers the steps she’s taken towards finding a daily practice that works for her.
What’s brought you to where you are?
Nourish is a social enterprise tech startup focused on maternal well-being. We’re developing a new mobile app to support and inspire mothers to not only proactively look after their mental health, but to give them access to tips and tools to navigate the emotional turbulence that parenthood brings. We believe that with easy access to a range of evidence-based tools for self-care, all mothers can find greater joy in their motherhood journey.
I’ve struggled with my emotional wellbeing many times during motherhood, not only as a new mum but also in juggling the stresses of work and two sensitive kids. It is my own journey with self-care over the last couple of years and the positive impact it has had on me and my family that has driven my passion to help others.
How would you define self-care?
I’m a strong believer that self-care is healthcare and that it can not only help us better navigate the tough times, but help us find greater joy in each and every day. For me, self-care is anything that tops up my emotional wellbeing and helps me find greater emotional balance. It’s therefore multidimensional and different from one moment to the next and depending on my needs and what’s accessible to me at that time. Let’s face it, we would all love a long massage or even a nice long run along the river every day, but that’s just not realistic given our busy lives and our budgets! There are however some types of self-care that for me have been game-changing. These are mindfulness, yoga and self-compassion.
With all of my self-care having a compassionate mindset is key. The last thing we need to be doing is beating ourselves up about it.
I try my best to find 10 minutes a day for mindfulness – either first thing in the morning, once the kids are in bed or last thing at night. If I can’t find 10 minutes I try to find 3 and if that fails I bring my attention to my breath whenever I remember to throughout the day. Even for a few moments.
I used to be a runner but started exploring yoga a year ago. I’m not at all flexible and love the anonymity of my own house, and I find those short, daily practices both soothing and energising for my mind and body. Luckily, my hubby now knows how important that time is to me and so he tries to make it work. So if it’s impossible, I try to at least do one round of sun salutations before my shower. If I fail there – I make a conscious effort to have a mindful shower. With all of my self-care having a compassionate mindset is key. The last thing we need to be doing is beating ourselves up about it.
Can you share a quick self-care tip that could be used daily?
One of my top self-care tips is getting into the habit of setting an intention or doing a mini mindfulness practice as soon as you wake up in the morning. My eldest is a nightmare in the mornings and has always woken up on the wrong side of the bed. This can be a pretty brutal way to be woken up prematurely, and things can escalate very fast without treading gently. But if I check in with myself as soon as I’m woken, take a few deep breaths and set an intention for the morning, it can flip the whole morning around. Some examples might be – “be kind to yourself”, “go gently”, “today is going to be a good day”, “try to be patient and empathetic” or just “you will get through this”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always get through it without tearing my hair out or indeed without an eruption. But the ride is generally much smoother if the first thing I do when I wake up is to take those few moments to check in with myself and set an intention.
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Loving these self-care tips! Thank you, Sara, for taking part in #thebigselfcareshare, and for telling us more about what inspired you to develop your mobile app. I’m proud to be part of the founding circle following its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and look forward to supporting and using it in the future! You can find out more about Sara by visiting Nourish on Instagram and the Nourish website.
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