Written mostly by Olivia of Leaf and Steel

Hello Ashley Spills! I was delighted when Ashley and I decided to feature each other on our respective blogs.

Leaf and Steel is a collective on all things motherhood, growth, and living. Throughout my life, I’ve always found relief in writing. As I grew older I expressed my thoughts on Tumblr or Blogger. In 2017, I decided to start a “real” blog and Leaf and Steel was born.

I didn’t write much the first few years. Once the pandemic hit and I became a stay-at-home mom, I finally had the time that I needed to write. Over the past year and a half, Leaf and Steel has grown to reach a wide audience of women looking to improve their parenting skills, read reviews, and share their self-care journeys.

Self-awareness and writing

Self-awareness is one principle that blogging has unquestionably helped me with. When I put my thoughts down on paper, I can get a pretty good idea of where I’m at with certain situations. I might not realize how stressed I am or how passionate I feel about something until I look at what I’ve written that day.

Writing helps me become self-aware because my intentions, insecurities, and dreams are revealed to me on the page. As I grow older it’s been important for me to be self-aware so I can see how my actions affect others. Taking an inventory of where I am emotionally, mentally, and physically makes me a better mom, wife, and friend.

Once I’m aware of my standing, I’m better able to take care of myself. I’m a big believer in the idea that you have to put your oxygen mask first before you help the person next to you.

What self-care is to me

I’ll admit that I had been conditioned to view self-care as something you do to improve your appearance. Manicures, facials, and the like were my idea of “taking care of yourself.” Now, I know that those things can be self-care, but the term has a different meaning for me.

Sometimes, it looks like yoga and fruit and liters of water. Sometimes it’s Netflix and Chipotle and saying “no” to an invitation. For me, it’s about listening to what my body and spirit need.

There are many days where I’m tempted to push through exhaustion when what I really need is rest. I love taking a hot shower and tucking myself into bed with some coffee and a good book. 

When I’m taking care of myself and resting when I need to rest, I’m emotionally balanced and have a positive outlook on life. On the opposite end, when I’m not taking care of myself I’m prone to feeling easily frustrated and grumpy.

Self-awareness, self-care, and motherhood

I need to have an understanding of my emotions so that I can teach my daughter emotional literacy. I always validate her feelings, no matter how small. Verbally telling her “you can be upset” or “it’s okay to be mad” has in turn, allowed me to validate my own emotions. Creating a safe space to feel anything has been unbelievably freeing.

I’m grateful that Leaf and Steel has become one of those safe spaces where people can gather online and take a break.

Thank you, Ashley, for featuring me on your site!

You can view Ashley’s post on Leaf and Steel here.

If you’d like to see more posts like this, head over to Leaf and Steel and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest!

Best,

Olivia

Thanks for reading, xo.

Ashley, here. I hope you enjoyed learning about Leaf and Steel! You should definitely check out her blog—Olivia replies to all inquires.

If you’d like to be featured on my blog, comment below or email me at ashley.spills.blog@gmail.com. My May blog feature is already booked, so let’s look at May! And you can check out my others posts here.

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