We know how grateful you are to have a new addition to the family, but how are YOU doing? Having a baby can be a rollercoaster of emotions – from elation to exhaustion and everything in between.
As a gentle reminder, that’s why you need to take a little time to take care of yourself, too. Self-care can come in many forms; it doesn’t have to be all baths and massages. Sometimes a sweet treat can elevate your mood and a little time outdoors can make the mental game less challenging.
You deserve a few easy, enjoyable ways to lift your spirits and feel like yourself again, so we rounded up a few to get your started.
Play tourist for a day
If your mind is full of feedings and diaper changes, let someone else plan your outing. Detroit Urban Adventures hosts three walking tours of historical landmarks, architectural wonders and local favorites. With small group sizes (12 guests or less) and only a two-hour time commitment, this is sure to be a respite from the challenges of motherhood.
“Detroit’s Rise, Fall & Renewal” tour includes a ride on the People Mover and ends with a beer (or non-alcoholic beverage) at Detroit Beer Company. “The D You Must See” includes some culinary must-haves with the choice of a Coney dog or baklava as well as a visit to the art-deco Guardian Building. The “Corktown is Popping” tour takes you through Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, the Irish-influenced foodie heaven lined with brewpubs and Tigers history.
Tours start at $29 at detroiturbanadventures.com.
Read up and donate
Local author Mitch Albom created a serialized story as he reveals one chapter per week, written in the present. He is offering the series “Human Touch” free to readers with the option to donate to Detroit Beats Covid-19. 100% of the proceeds go towards fighting the pandemic by creating a mobile testing center in Detroit, feeding thousands of homebound seniors weekly, helping to operate a quarantine center for the homeless population and so much more.
“Human Touch” revolves around the lives of four families who share a street corner in a Michigan town, and their experiences as a strange new virus becomes a part of American life.
Albom takes a deep dive into how relationships and human interaction is affected by the new life these families are living. The fictional story provides inspiration and hope in addition to supplying Detroit with much-needed assistance. So read, relax and donate each week!
A fix for mind and body
Pick a yoga class to deal with the effects of pregnancy hormones on your joints and ligaments. One spot to try is The Yoga Garden in Beverly Hills. It offers a variety of yoga classes from Vinyasa, which are rigorous and physically intense classes with upbeat music, to Slow Burn, which is great for every experience level, and Yin, which is restorative with gentle stretching.
Classes are offered online, outdoors and in studio with a single walk-in session for $20, various class packs and monthly unlimited memberships starting at $99.
Feed a sweet tooth with gal pals
The humble doughnut has risen to unprecedented heights, topped and filled with every imaginable combination of sweet and savory flavors. Create your own doughnut tour at shops around the Metro area, aiming to hit one or two per weekend or make a morning of it and hit them all with friends.
Holy Moly Donut Shop features build-your-own doughnuts: pick your base, glaze and add toppings. Toppings range from standard (rainbow sprinkles) to cereal (Cap’N Crunch) to salty (Better Made Potato Chips) and more.
Hit up Dilla’s Delights and pay homage to the late legendary hip-hop producer J. Dilla. Nab a McNasty Macaroon Cake – the baddest bad boy of them all – or an Aaliyah Lemon Filled.
Family-owned institution Dutch Girl Donuts is open 24 hours a day Monday-Friday, so you can cure those late-night cravings. These doughnuts are made the same way they were when they first opened the shop opened its doors in 1947 and have remained affordable and irresistible.
If your sweet tooth is satisfied, switch it up a little with a burek from The Family Donut Shop in Hamtramck, famously visited by Anthony Bourdain on “No Reservations.”