15 WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF WITH YOUR BUSY MOM LIFE – SELF CARE FOR MOMS

As a freshly baked mommy, you won’t find the time to do anything.
Like literally nothing!
Except taking care of your baby of course. Then, after a couple of weeks, you and your baby are becoming a team and even if you have a very time-consuming child, you need to take care of yourself again.
You need time for yourself, to recharge your batteries. Self-care is very important for moms!

What is self-care?

Self-care is the act of taking care of yourself. When you feel good, your baby and others around you get the most of you. You can take better care of others and the responsibilities you have. It will be easier to be motivated, to stop procrastinating and to enjoy yourself again.

How to practice self-care when you are a mom

Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can take from less than 5 minutes to one hour or more. But I’d say baby steps! You don’t have to do them alone, some can be done together with your partner and/or your children. And if you do them alone, enjoy every second of it and try not to have any regrets (“oh I should have been there to put my baby to bed”- your partner will be just fine).
I know this all too well and you will only get half the benefit out of it.

Take some time to see how you can fit in one self-care activity daily. Some will take only 30 seconds, some will take a bit more planning like going out with friends.

I have made a compilation of things you can do to take a small break and just enjoy yourself.

Self-care activities for moms

• Slow down and breathe. Take a couple of deep and slow breaths. It will help you calm down and relax a little when you are stressed or overwhelmed.
• Nature: go outside, take a walk, garden, plant something, have a picnic, go to the park, sit outside, enjoy a sunset, look at the stars, listen to rain, sit and listen to the sounds of nature, go to the zoo, start your day by walking barefoot on grass, tell yourself to “Stop!” and take a short break to look at the sky, jump in puddles

• Sport: It has been scientifically proven that 30 minutes of physical activity a day are beneficial to your physical and moral health. So, work up a sweat! On YouTube, you can find so many different videos with fitness sessions to follow. Try Yoga. Personally, I am more a fan of Pilates but you have to find out for yourself. Go for a bike ride or go swimming in an open pool or lake. The best exercise, in my opinion, is dancing! You get to combine exercise with socialising and listening to music. You also can enjoy a dance party with your kids in your living room, they will love the good vibes.
• Meditation: When I first read about taking the time to meditate, I thought that was for hippies! But since I was stressed out all the time trying to think of everything that I needed to do, I tried it anyway. And I swear it has changed my life!
  Guided meditations are easy to follow even if you are a beginner. You’ll listen to a calm voice that tells you how to breathe and relax every part of your body, what to imagine and how to let go of your stress.
  “Headspace” has helped me destress and also declutter my mind when the overwhelm was becoming too heavy. It’s the first time ever that I have paid for the full version of an application and it was worth every penny! And Andy Puddicombe’s voice is really relaxing and pleasant.
  You can also use visualisation (sophrology) and practice mindfulness. The first one is calming your mind using images and the second one means being present, not thinking of 1000 things at the same time but doing just one thing, for example just enjoying this hot cup of tea.
  You can also observe your feelings and emotions without judgement and turn into your senses. Pay attention to the smell or sound around you and to your breath.
• Sleep: this is my weakest point. Every morning I wake up thinking “why did I go to bed this late? Tonight, I’ll be in bed right after the kids” and then I do it again. Once they are asleep, I want to take time for myself, to read a book, watch a series or two and then… it’s late again and the next day I’m tired again.
  To recharge your energy levels, be in better shape, be more motivated and patient, you should have an early night at least once a week. Other ways of getting enough sleep are napping while baby naps. Yes, do this and leave the chores for another time and some for your partner when he comes home.
  It’s also great to sleep in once a week. Talk to your partner about it. Saturday might be his day and yours Sunday. But make sure that on Sunday he takes the kids out to the park or to the market so it’s quiet around the house.

• Read: If you like reading take at least 10 minutes a day to read a book or a magazine. If you breastfeed you should have your e-book reader close to you at all times. If you don’t have one yet, now would be a good time to invest in one with internal light so you can read while waiting for your child to fall asleep. You could also read books on self-improvement. A great start can be “The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod” or “Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One”. Or about finances, try “Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill”. I always alternate between easy reads and something that stimulates my brain. You can also read a blog on self-care activities. Anything that doesn’t cause you stress.

• 

• 

• 

• Listen: There are lots of uplifting podcasts out there. You can also listen to The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo. Again, something to nourish your mind.
  Listen to your favourite music or put on a compilation on YouTube to be in a better mood. It’s fun to dance with your baby in your arms. If she doesn’t like it, try a different kind of music. My unborn child went salsa dancing with me until my 9^th month of pregnancy, no wonder he likes listening to Latin music.

• Watch: if you have little time, watch baby animal videos, they’ll uplift your mood. You can also watch a show on Netflix (if you don’t have Netflix or Prime yet, now would be the best time), watch a movie or go and see a performance.
  If you want to learn something, you can watch the show with Marie Kondo and learn how to tidy up and declutter even with small kids. A tidy home influences positively every other aspect of your life.

• Eat: If you eat something healthy you will automatically feel better about yourself because you are taking care of your body. Hydrating and refuelling yourself is very important so you can function perfectly and take care of your little one. It’s so easy to forget to eat while taking care of a baby. Or to just take a snack or a ready-made meal.
  But in the long run this will make you frustrated. And it won’t help with losing the weight you have put on during your pregnancy.
  Try to have a least once a week a meal that you enjoy. One of my favourite little self-care acts is boiling up some water to enjoy a hot cuppa tea even if the last sips are almost always cold.

• Good memories: You can start a gratitude journal and write down 3 things you are thankful for. If you do this every night before going to bed, you will finish the day on a positive thought. And when the day is hard, you can always go back and read some old entries.
  Look at old photos or watch home movies. They always make me smile. Take pictures of things that make you smile to create more good memories.

• Treat yourself: Take a warm shower or a relaxing bath, get dressed up or wear something that makes you feel good, get grooming, put on some make-up if this is something you like doing. It can help you hide the side effects of a short night and you instantly feel more like a woman. Paint your nails or get some pampering done like a manicure or a massage. Have you ever tried a Chinese acupressure foot massage? It’s heaven!
  Make a doctor’s appointment.
  Turn off your phone or stay off social media for a day. Yes, it is possible. My phone broke two months ago and while I ordered a new one the same day, I didn’t have a phone for a whole week. Even though it was annoying not to be able to make doctor’s appointments or knowing when the next bus would come, it was also liberating and I noticed how much time I actually spent playing games or using Facebook. I was finally free and had time to write for the blog and read a book.

• Socialise: Talk to someone, call a friend who will brighten your day or someone you care about. Make physical contact, snuggle with someone (your children and husband will love this self-care act). Do a random act of kindness or make someone a compliment. Go out with friends or go on a date with the baby daddy. Meet a friend for coffee, have dinner with friends, have a girl’s night out.

• Other: Visit a new place. Delete items from your to-do list. Go away for the night or just be alone. Stretch. Smile.
• Your choice! Whatever makes you happy and feel good.

As you can see, there are plenty of ideas out there and I hope I have inspired you to come up with your own.

And yes, even with children you have the right to have hobbies and to take time for yourself.  So, make time and be flexible if you need to. Start with something small each day that you choose to do for yourself. Taking care of yourself should become part of your daily routine.