Hey busy moms! I see you over there running on empty trying to do it all. It is totally exhausting, I’m a busy mom also so I can understand how you feel. You just want everyone to be happy and have what they need but a lot of times when we do this, we forget about ourselves. Does this sound familiar? I figured, but it doesn’t always have to be this way! These go to self care tips will help you take time for yourself in ways that will help you recharge and be able to show up better in other parts of your life! Regardless of what you want to do for self care you definitely need to find ways to allow yourself to have some!
Self care was never on my radar until I started to notice that I was always exhausted. It didn’t matter if I had a full night’s sleep or spent a day with the family watching movies, I was still tired. After some self discovery, and therapy!, I realized I rarely did anything for myself. I learned then that I would have to be creative with my time in order to find ways to allow myself to do things for myself. These self care activities do not have to be extravagant or expensive or even super time consuming. They just need to be activities you can do, even from your home, that are just for you!
Begin The Day With “Me Time”
Think over the last few days? When was the last time you were truly alone without anyone asking you questions or asking you to do something for them? Now, don’t laugh lol. I’m assuming if you’re still reading this you are most likely a mom so we all know there is no time we get without our kids asking for something! After a few years I realized that if I could get up before my kids and drink coffee in silence it would start my day off in a much better place. So that is what I did!
Now, my kids are super early risers, I’m talking they are ready to play at 6am! I make the choice each morning to wake up 30 minutes before they do to give me time to do what I want to do in the morning, and in quiet. I drink coffee, do some work, do some yoga, journal, whatever brings me the most joy that morning. You can do really anything during that time because it is yours! Do something that will help fill your bucket of self love!
My kids now know my schedule and trust me they try to come out of their rooms because I’m awake but my response to them is always the same. I say good morning. I tell them to go to the bathroom and to head back into their rooms. They aren’t always happy but I’ve explained to them that this is my time and I wake up extra early in the morning to have it. They can go back in their room and lay back down, read a book, or play with whatever toys they have in there, but they cannot keep coming out until it is time! It took some time to get into the routine but they eventually got it and now I get to enjoy my peaceful mornings that help get me ready to tackle the chaos of the day!.
Ask For Help!
Have you been asking for help? Why not? I know some of us aren’t going to like this suggestion but let me ask you this, is trying to do it all on your own working out for you? My guess is no because you’re still reading this, which I’m so thankful for! So if what you are doing isn’t working, then it is time to try something new. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. I know they always say “Moms are Superheros” and trust me, you are, BUT you can still ask for help.
Tell your spouse you need 20 minutes a day to yourself. Ask a family member or friend to come watch the kids so you can get out for a while. If someone offers to help you out, don’t be quick to say no! Accepting help is ok and we need to start remembering that!
Learn To Let Things Go!
Are you one of the people who absolutely have to have everything in perfect order before you go to bed? I listened to a friend tell me once that after a party she had she stayed up until 2am cleaning and scrubbing her entire house… I literally just started and blinked. Friends, we need to learn to let things go. I’m not saying let your house turn into a disaster but sleep is important and staying up all night to scrub the toilet isn’t helping you. Pick out the priorities, do those, and let the rest go until the next day. I promise you will be fine!
Running yourself past empty and then not getting enough sleep is setting yourself up for failure the next day. You are going to be exhausted, still have a full to do list, and have active kids with tons of energy, how do you think that day will play out for you? Sometimes you just have to leave the dishes in the sink or scrub the floors the next day. You need to make sure you are taking care of yourself and that includes taking time to wind down before bed and actually sleeping!
There ya have it! My go to tips for getting more needed self care! Everyone is going to have different ideas of what self care is. Maybe you want to get in a hard workout or read a book or walk around the mall. It doesn’t matter what you do, it matters that you actually do it! Wondering what’s next? Come follow along with me on Instagram to get more tips for health and wellness!
