This is a note to myself, actually.
As moms it’s easy to fill our day with things to take care of: the house, the kids, meals, work, spouse, plants, pets, errands, the list goes on. And it can feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to pour back into ourselves the same amount of time, energy, and effort we pour into other areas of our lives.
The more we take on in life — whether that’s home ownership, more children, more responsibilities at work, or more extracurricular activities, etc. — the less time we have available to give to ourselves and dedicate towards pouring back into our own identities.
But the reality is that we cannot forget about taking care of ourselves, even if it’s only a fraction of what we used to do before children. Failing to prioritize our own self-care affects our mental health, could damage our self-esteem, and lead to us experiencing an increase in anxiety, anger, fatigue, and depression.
That’s why today I’m sharing a round-up of ways to carve out time to remember who you are and take care of yourself like you take care of everything else. Here are three ways to take care of yourself:
Morning quiet time
I notice how valuable it is for me and my mood (and everyone else around me) when I can have quiet time at the start of my day.
I have a reminder in my phone that goes off the first thing in the morning. It reads: “Light yourself up. Be spiritually fed and illuminate yourself so you can illuminate the world.” It’s a note to self and a reminder to have a good morning and start my day with my best foot forward.
Quiet time for me looks like waking up before everyone else (if possible), praying, grabbing my journal, and playing meditation music, a sermon, or sometimes sitting in silence. In the end of my quiet time, I’m able to walk away feeling gratitude, positive energy, and have clear intentions set for the day. Imagine how your mood could be affected if you were able to incorporate your own version of quiet time in the morning first thing, before you touched or did anything for anyone else.
Stick to routines
I love routines because they are a predictable way to make sure certain things get done and also have certain blocks of time to look forward to throughout the day, especially when it comes to being a mom to multiples. For example, I know that in my morning routine, I’m going to make sure I take care of my bare necessities like hygiene, staying moisturized, picking out what I will wear, and overall just looking and feeling my best.
From my experience, I found that kids thrive off routines. That’s why I made it a routine in my household to, for the most part, stick to a schedule. One of our routines is that after lunch, it’s nap time/quiet time. So if we spend the morning taking care of the house or making sure the kids have a good day, I know that after lunch I have something to look forward to and that special time gets to be the “me time” I need to take a break and is just what I need to give myself an extra midday boost. Are there any routines you have in your day to catch a break, even if it’s just 15 or 30 minutes in the car to focus on just you?
Weekly (or regular) appointments
Self-care looks different for everyone. Some people value pampering themselves, getting their hair done, nails, facials, waxing appointments, massages, etc. While others value fitness classes, sleeping in, or hobbies like dancing, shopping/thrifting, hiking, traveling, going to the movies, the arts, having a girls’ night, social influencing, or foodie-related things, etc.
What’s important is deciding what you enjoy the most and then being sure to block out the time ahead in your schedule to get it incorporated into your day/week/or month. Even if you do your hair or nails yourself, block off the time in your calendar regularly for when you will take care of it like you used to do, and then lean on your tribe to take care of the kids (or other priorities) while you allow yourself to be taken care of or spend the time taking care of yourself.
There are so many different hats we wear as women to help make the world go around, to help everyone have a good day and feel loved and cared for…that’s why when you become a mom, it’s even more important to lean on support and make it a priority to not forget about you!
