Self-Care tips busy moms can practice anywhere
Let’s face it, as a busy mom, often times we struggle to maintain a constant self-care routine and even when we are longing for those few moments alone to do just that, it’s rare that it works in our favor. But thanks to some creativity, I am eager to share a few realistic self-care tips for busy moms everywhere.
If you’re on social media, especially Instagram, women everywhere have been hash-tagging, posting challenges and sharing routines for their best self-care secrets. And listen, there have been some really enticing routines. I mean, the ideas run the gamut. Hours of alone-time at home, all-day spa treatments and weekend girl excursions in some tropical climate, talk about #squadgoals! While all of these things are attainable for busy moms, these are not things we can typically do in that rare moment that we get a few minutes to ourselves.
So, for those of us who desperately need realistic self-care tips for busy moms, man are you in for a treat. But let me warn you, these are not your typical get a mani-pedi run-of-the-mill self-care tips. What we all seem to forget, is that self-care is not just about spending time sprucing up, there’s way more to consider. Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t look good, you don’t feel good, but true self-care is so much more. Not sure what I mean, keep reading, I’ll get you right:
Expand your mind – while you probably never thought of it this way, reading is definitely an important piece of the self-care puzzle. Whether you choose to read a steamy romance novel or a self-help book, reading allows you to get away or at least work on building your knowledge on any given topic. They say if you read 30 minutes a day every day, on the same topic, you can consider yourself an expert in about 5 years. (This excludes parenting, in case you were wondering. We all know there is no such thing as a parenting expert. We’re all just winging it.) But seriously, 30 min, that’s nothing. As a mater of fact, let me see what I want to be known as an expert for. In the meantime, if you’re curious, here are some books that I’ve read so far in 2019 and strongly recommend: Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media, Brittany Hennessy and Becoming, Michelle Obama.
Meditate/Pray – Whether you’re religious or spiritual or both, there is something to be said about becoming more intentional with your thoughts and prayers. Often times its a great way to recognize the need for gratitude, find clarity or inspiration and refocus. Without getting too deep on you, it’s a good way to get in tune with who you are and be clear about what’s yours and what’s not. That gets hard amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy mom.
Netflix and chill – well, not literally, but if you find a rare, free moment or actually plan one, grab some covers, your favorite snack, close the door and indulge in one of your favorite trash-TV series or that movie you never quite make it through, after the kids are in bed. Alone-time where minimal thinking is involved allows your brain to replenish and your anxiety to take a mini vacation. And that’s a win in my book any day.
Phone a friend – If you’re like me, I usually can only have an uninterrupted phone call on my ride to and from work after kids are at school or before they are picked up. If your drive time is short, whelp no sense in even trying to squeeze in a catch-up call with your bestie. For me, when I nab a 30 minutes or so, I scroll my mental rolodex (if you have no idea what this is, its ok just think paper contact list), and think about some of my close friends whom I haven’t spoken to in a while. And no, social media does not count. its great to actually talk to another adult especially a good friend to get brought up to speed on what projects she’s working on, reminisce about that one time we did a bunch of things we shouldn’t have, of which no one will know because social media didn’t exist, or simply share a few frustrations or even better, wins. More importantly, laugh. Its crazy just how much I laugh.
Nap – Yup, you read that right. I don’t know about you, but my youngest stopped taking naps before he turned 3. What that meant for me was that I no longer had the ability to “nap when he napped”. The thought crushed my soul. For me, a mid-day nap on a Saturday was heavenly. But those days are a distant memory. So whenever possible, curl up with a soft blanket and doze off for as long as you can. It’s the best ever. If you haven’t already, try it, you’ll wake refreshed and renewed. I know what you’re thinking, this is not what you would think of as typical self-care tips, and ironically, that’s the point. Self-care does not have to be fancy, costly nor grandiose. It’s simply how you take time to take care of your most prized possession…YOU.
There are tons of other self-care tips that are realistic for busy moms, we’d love to hear some of yours. Be sure to share below.
If your looking for a few self-care items, here’s a list of items I recommend.