Motherhood and Self-Care: nurturing the Nurturer
Can motherhood and self-care co-exist? Sometimes, life gets busy, and we, as moms, are the first to neglect ourselves for the sake of our children. Among the near-infinite tasks, we have soccer, gymnastics, tutoring, homework, household chores, and dinner to cook – motherhood has so many responsibilities. Thinking about fitting something else into your already tight schedule feels overwhelming.
I get it. I truly do. But, it is important to prioritize yourself. Even if you have several children or it’s been a long time since you’ve prioritized yourself. Remember, you are important and deserve to have time in your life for you. It’s not selfish to take a little time for yourself. Taking care of you ensures your cup stays full so you can help your family fill their cups daily.
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Motherhood and Self-Care: Where to Begin
If you don’t know where to start or you’ve neglected yourself for a long time, remember you can start small. Self-care doesn’t have to be a full day at the spa or even a nail appointment (although it certainly can be)!
However, it’s important to stress that self-care is all about taking care of yourself – so you feel good and are able to show up for your family in the best way possible. Motherhood and self-care can work hand in hand, even for the busy mom. You can start small, and there are some things you can start doing for yourself right away. Even if you’re short on time, these suggestions take little of your precious time.
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day. Drinking enough water is one of the most important but least appreciated ways to embrace self-care. I know, it’s not sexy, but it’s essential for your skin, mental health, and body. Hydration helps you keep your energy levels up so you can keep up with your kids all day long! Currently, I carry around a 40-ounce Blogilates bottle. Personally, I’ve found 64 ounce+ bottles to be too cumbersome take everywhere. I love the 40 ounce because I only have to refill it once during the day and it’s not too heavy to carry everywhere I go.
- Prioritize your rest. I know it’s tough getting the kids to bed. (Click here if you need bedtime hacks for children)! It’s especially difficult when you have homework, extracurricular activities, and baths to worry about. But do your best to get at least 8 hours of rest each night.
- Fit in a lunch break. Yes, if you’re at work, if you’re working from home, or even if you have children at home. Take a small break during the middle of the day. It’s okay if your “lunch break” is only a few minutes because you have little ones.
- Speaking of taking a break, take a minute or two just to breathe at least once each day. Find a corner away from everyone and breathe for 1-2 minutes. You’ll find yourself much more refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day.
Organizing For YOU
- Find a moment to organize something – even if it’s just a drawer. It’s amazing how quickly this can be accomplished, and you get an instant dopamine hit for achieving it. For more ideas on organizing, check out our blog on streamlining your space.
- If organizing a whole drawer is more than you have time for, find a quick task you can complete in under 2 minutes and do it. Accomplishing a small win for YOU feels so good!
- Find a project you’d like to do that you currently find overwhelming. Take a few minutes to break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Then, see if there’s one small step you can make today toward your goal.
Hobbies
- Take a few minutes to doodle. I’m no artist, but this is one of my favorite (and more unique) ways to decompress. I have never done much drawing, but drawing is incredibly relaxing and fun. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube or you can find drawing books at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. My favorites are the cute, animal Chibis!
- Take a few moments to write in a journal. You can write a poem, brain dump, write diary style, start a novel, make a gratefulness list, or simply write ideas to get them out of your head. Personally, writing is so cathartic for me, so I do it often just to clear my head.
- Start learning to crochet or knit while watching TV – even if it’s while watching the same Bluey episode for the 47th time. (Truthfully, I kind of love Bluey).
- Turn on your favorite music, dance, or sing! In my opinion, music is the ultimate stress reliever. Go ahead, embarrass your kids as you belt out your favorite 90’s tunes.
While it may seem that motherhood and self-care can’t co-exist, they really go hand in hand. When you feel at your best for taking care of your own needs, you can show up in a much better mood for your family. Don’t judge yourself if you haven’t taken much time for self-care recently. Simply start with something small that you’d like to do daily and go from there. You and your family will thank you for it!
