Being a mom is hard work. You spend your days cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Some of you go to work all day and then come home to juggle the demands of your family. At the end of the day, you may forget to take care of yourself. Self-care as a mom is extremely important for your physical and mental health! There are a million ways you can do this, but here are my favorites!
It might take awhile to finish anything, but try to set aside even twenty minutes after bedtime or during naptime to read. You could read a new release, a classic, your bible, or a magazine. It is a great way to wind down for a bit.
When my toddler still napped, I always felt like I had to get so much done while she was down. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is take a nap yourself! Your small child will wake up energized, so you should not feel bad about giving yourself some energy as well!
This one is the hardest of all. Try to find one day a month where you can do absolutely nothing. Send your child with a trusted adult and just sit around. The dishes and the vacuuming can wait while you recharge your batteries for just a little bit.
If you have a special needs child, these things are even more important. Momma in the Mix has some great tips to avoid parental fatigue as a special needs parent.
I’d love to hear from you! What keeps you sane as a mom? What is your favorite way to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your little humans?
Reading, even just a little bit, is such a self-care thing for me. A chapter of a book while I drink my coffee is just lovely.
Finding time to do nothing is what I truly need these days. It’s been two years since I haven’t been able to figure out a way to schedulr proper days off and it’s a stugle..
I think these apply just as much to the dads as they do to the moms! Thanks for reminding us that we need to take care of ourselves in small ways!
They definitely apply to dads as well! I told Mr. Not So Crafty that he should write a separate post for dads because he both works 12 hours a day and manages to spend time with our little one, so his relaxation time is as rare as mine.
Though my kids are now adults (how did that happen??), I still find it hard to prioritize self care. Though I’ve always been an avid reader, I have let my non-existent attention span get in the away of cozying up with a good book. Will definitely work on stepping away from the screen a bit more often!
I really need to try and make time for some self care… finding a little time to do nothing sounds like my idea of heaven!
Reading is one of my favorite ways to have a little self care! So easy and fun!
I almost always read for about 30 minutes before bed. Or until I fall asleep since I have been known to fall asleep with my book in my hands many times! Naps are hard to come by with two young boys in the house right now who don’t nap.
My toddler doesn’t nap either anymore, but I treasure the rare day that she gets really tired and decides to sleep for a bit.
The find time to do nothing has been a huge part of my self-care as of late. Becoming okay with peace hasn’t been easy but it is so worth it.
Agree with each statement. I love reading, taking naps and finding time to do absolutely nothing. All very important for me.
These are my type of tasks on a to-do list for every day. haha Seriously though, I wish I had time to take a nap and read every day but they doesn’t happen. My day for those things in on Sunday afternoons. Some weekends are different but I look forward to most lazy Sunday afternoons (day of rest). 😉
I’m trying to learn how to nap when my toddler naps, but it makes getting my to-do list accomplished more difficult.
It is so hard to do but totally worth trying!
I’m always looking for more ways to practice self-care. I’ll definitely add these to the list! Thanks for sharing.
These are all such great ideas! I definitely need to work more on self-care!
The two that I need to do more often is to honestly do nothing for a time. And then I need to take naps more often. I know they would be so helpful.
I need to try and make time to do some reading. I used to love nothing more than getting lost in a good book, but now I can’t remember the last time I even picked one up. Thank you for reminding me that I need, no, DESERVE, to take a little bit of me time 🙂
Louise x
I do not read nearly as much as I used to, but it is relaxing to sneak in a few pages a day!
Nice ideas. Finding time to do nothing is so hard but I try to make that time available for myself. We moms really do forget to take care of ourselves.
It is so easy to get caught up in taking care of little ones that we forget to think about ourselves! I have been trying to at least give myself 15 minutes a day and it helps me be a more relaxed person.