Self Care For Moms

I could be described as a  “sensitive” person.

I’m uncomfortable or can’t concentrate with loud noises. People’s moods affect me. I feel annoyed when people try to get me to do too many things at once.

I get annoyed with myself if I plan too many activities into one week. I get annoyed with my family if the house is a mess, the kids are being too loud or the kids tell me about something (like a school function or project) at the last minute.

I don’t like crowds. I don’t like doing things on a whim.

I like having time to plan and prepare. I need clean. I like quiet.

Somedays I just retreat into my bedroom, not because I don’t want to be around anyone. But because I’m most comfortable, and feel the best when I can unwind on my own terms.

Sometimes I only need a few minutes to gather my thoughts and I’m ready to go. Other times I’m just over the entire day and I’d rather sleep or invite the kids into my room to watch a movie with me.

ARE YOU A SENSITIVE PERSON? 

You can take this short quiz to find out.

You might be a sensitive person if:

• you’re bothered by loud noises or busy environments
• you notice what other people are feeling
• you feel like retreating into your room when there’s too much going on
• too many activities or “to-dos” in a short amount of time stress you out
• you try hard to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations

SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT

Try being a sensitive person and then throw being a mother into that mix. You’re sure to feel some mental drain and physical exhaustion.

It’s not that your kids don’t care about your needs as a sensitive person, they just don’t get it. Being a kids is all about them. When will they eat? What will they play? What’s the next fun thing going on?

That’s why it’s so important to take care of yourself, especially if you’re a highly sensitive person.

It’s that whole you-gotta-fill-your-cup-before-you-can-fill-anyone-else’s type of thing.

Otherwise you’ll end up stressed out and burned out.

And I don’t know about you but I hate the “burned out” feeling. I get irritated with my children more often when I’m burned out. And I hate when I yell at them or when I lose my patience. Doing that makes me feel even worse! I found that taking a few minutes each day for myself makes a big difference in my attitude and patience. Plus, I get to take time doing something I really want to do.

Moms, you know how hard it is to carve out time for yourself!

I know it’s hard to make time for myself. A lot of self care ideas I come across include things like: go out on date with yourself, or take a leisurely walk.

And yeah, those are awesome ideas but, come on, who’s got time for that?

In this season of my life I have very limited time. I need ideas I can do while my kids are around or while they’re sleeping.

SELF CARE IDEAS YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY

• Read a book before bed every night. I just finished this one.
• Take a hot bath after the kids are in bed.
• Wake up 15 minutes earlier to drink your coffee and read your bible or plan your day.
• Color! Grab an adult coloring book or just doodle in a notebook at home.
• Write in a journal.
• Watch the latest episode of your favorite show. (You gotta be careful with this one though, I know I’m not the only one who got sucked into watching The OA on Netflix and just ignored everything else for the day or so).
• Grab some quick drying nail polish and give yourself a manicure.
• Enjoy a hot cup of tea.
• Meditate.
• Exercise at home.
• Try a new hairstyle.
• Use your breaks at work for self care! Yes—walk during your break, call a friend, spend time on Pinterest! Just do it!

HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR SELF CARE 

Okay, this is the tricky part. Making time for yourself can seem selfish.

Especially when the laundry is piling up and the dishes need to be put away.

Or when you have a homework to check, school functions to go to. And your “to-do” list keeps getting longer and longer.

But, the truth is YOU need to make time for YOURSELF. No one else is gonna do it for you. 

So how can you make time for self care every day?

What works for me is putting my kids to bed at a decent hour. The goal is 8:30 pm, and I know I can get things done for myself around 9pm with little to no interruptions.

Otherwise I have to wake up early (around 5am) to get some quiet time before work. **This one doesn’t usually happen because I am so NOT a morning person.

Think about which part of the day you can schedule some self care time and plan out what you’ll do.

—Do you need to wake up earlier?

—Have the kids go to bed a bit earlier?

—Use naptime for yourself instead of getting chores done?

SELF CARE FOR MOMS: TIPS & TRICKS 

• Use headphones and listen to relaxing music or sounds of nature to drown out noise.
• Light a candle to set a relaxing mood.
• Let your kids know you need some “me time” and encourage them to take time for themselves too!
• Try cooking extra one night and doing something different with the leftovers. Tonight we had Curry and Rice and I had tons of leftover rice, I added a can of corns and 2 cans of black beans into the leftover rice. Now I have dinner “prepped” for tomorrow. All I have to do is heat it up and add salsa for some quick burrito bowls! This saves me time in the kitchen which equals more time for myself later!
• Try doing simple things like longer showers, painting your nails or reading a book when you are first starting to make time for yourself. It gets easier to block out that self care time once you have a routine.
• Time block your evenings. I have a chunk of time set aside for dinner and kitchen clean up, for 1 chore each week day and time for reading with the kids (we don’t always get the reading in) and then I have time blocked off (in red) for myself before bed! **like my planner? Check it out here. 

ONE LAST THING

Don’t go doing things you don’t like as “self care.” I’m talking to you Ms. I-HATE-EXERCISING…

Don’t add “working out” as your self care.

That is not self care.

Find a different way to take care of yourself! Challenge yourself to eat healthier meals or find a way to make exercise fun, (do it with a friend) just remember it’s not self care if it feels like a chore!

So I wanna hear from you! Tell me in the comments what YOU do for self care.

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