Self-care is so important for moms to feel happy and refreshed. Here are tips on how to find time in your busy day for yourself so you can be a better mother.
Every mom knows that self-care for moms is important, and believe me, getting a massage or even taking a shower that’s longer than “jump in, get wet, jump out” sounds heavenly. However, how many of us are actually taking the necessary time to pamper ourselves? *crickets chirping*
In the words of my frustrated (and rightfully so) husband, “You always say you want time for yourself, but when I offer to take the kids for a couple of hours you always end up running errands or coming with us instead.” Oops. That’s mom mentality for you. We want time for self-care, but when it comes down to it, the guilt of handing over the children to someone else and actually doing something for ourselves gets too overwhelming.
This is a guest post by Adrienne from Peace of Mom, a blog dedicated to ensuring all moms get the TLC they deserve. Adrienne is a mother of two, teacher of English, and lover of all things chocolate.
We’ve all heard the expression “Put on your oxygen mask first”—take care of yourself before taking care of others. I’m sure we can all agree that it makes perfect, logical sense. But, in reality, the idea of regular self-care probably seems too luxurious to be real, right? As busy moms, we often put ourselves way down on our to-do list, which means our needs are often met last. If you want to step up your self-care, but don’t know how to make time for it, here are four easy steps to get you started.
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Make Yourself a Priority
The first step towards better self-care is adopting the right mindset. Know that you matter just as much as your kids and husband and parents and pet parakeet.
Think of it this way, as the caretaker in your family, you need to take care of yourself. Nobody else is going to do it because care-taking is your job! Don’t wait for somebody to say, “Hey, you look tired, let me take the kids for a couple hours so you can take a nap and shower!” (Spoiler alert: Nobody ever says that in real life.) It’s time to advocate for yourself, mama!
Banish Guilt
Guilt is probably the biggest roadblock for moms who want to take better care of themselves. Self-care just feels, well…selfish. But, you can’t feel guilty about making time for yourself. Here’s why: when you’re happy, your kids are happy. Period, end of story.
If you take one thing away from this post, remember this: making time for yourself makes you a better mother. Even a few minutes of self-care a day will help you to be more patient and happy—and isn’t that what our kids need from us?
Set Goals
Once you’ve overcome the obstacles in your way, it’s time to make a real decision: make the conscious choice to commit to yourself. That’s right, it’s like any other New Year’s Resolution you might make (Except, this is way more fun!)
Be very clear about what your self-care goals are. Do you want a free afternoon every weekend? Ten minutes every evening? My advice is to make time for a little self-care every single day. Keep reading—it is possible!
2. Do What You Love
Ready to make time for yourself? OK! The next step is to decide what you will actually do for yourself. Make a list of your favorite self-care activities. That way, you have a whole arsenal of choices when you are blessed with some free time.
Still stumped? Here’s a short list of nice things you can do for yourself. Pick a few (or even one) and start there.
Setting goals is a huge thing for me and also finding time to relax, which usually turns into taking a 30 minute bath once my little one goes to bed!
That sounds heavenly! A bath is one of my favorite ways to relax too!
Self care is soooo important! I sometimes need to remind myself to take some “me” time! Great post!
Thanks, Michelle. I hope the post inspires you to take more time for yourself!
I love all your tips. I am still fighting with guilt whenever a take me time and still think I am stealing that time from my kids. I am grateful that you share that it is okay to do so.
Thank you! I know exactly what you mean. I think guilt is the hardest obstacle to overcome. It always helps me to remind myself that doing something for me makes me a better mother.
This is huge! Every woman in the world should read this. Great ideas here. I really need to banish time wasters, myself
The mom guilt is soooo real! I really like the Busy Basket idea. I’m going to give it a try.
Definitely try it! I like to keep a few busy baskets on hand for different purposes: one in the kitchen when I’m cooking, one for when I’m on the phone, one in the car.
Self care in Motherhood is crucial! These are great ideas to encourage us to put ourselves first sometimes.
It took me a few years to realize the importance of self-care ! I still could work on it to be more consistent but am much better at taking the time for me !
I’m bookmarking this post! These are excellent tips for self care and I especially love the whole “banishing time wasters” tip! Social media sucks me into a vortex and I end up not feeling rested at all.
Thanks! You’re so right! I just read a tip the other day about setting a timer when you go on Facebook. I think I’m going to try it.
This is so good! I also write about self care for moms on my blog and #2 is most of my blog name! I am glad you had a guest poster highlight this important, yet often overlooked, subject.
Thanks, Jasmine! I took a look at your site and I think it’s awesome! It’s so important for moms to do (and remember!) what they love.
This was such a lovely post. Indeed its high time that we need to take care of ourselves. This is my resolution in 2018 and I’m happy for this my first step was of banishing guilt from within.
Thank you! I’m so glad it’s your resolution this year. I think better self-care is a perfect idea for a resolution.
Love this! I always think of naptime as “my time”. Motherhood is so hard, we have to take time for us.
Great post! Couldn’t agree more with the mom mentality of running errands or going with them. I do the same. All great ideas for me time!
These are such good tips! Easier said than done, but definitely something I’m working hard to implement into my day!
There are so many posts about self-care out there, but this one really stands apart ❤️ I think I’m the worst about putting myself first sometimes, or making it a priority. It falls to the wayside :/
I know same here, I did just get a massage Saturday, was so proud of myself lol
I’ve learned self care is so important. I like the idea of quiet time. My youngest started skipping naps recently so it’s been challenging but I think regularly scheduled quiet time just may work.