It can be difficult to decide what are good self-care tips for moms today. The internet is full of everyone’s opinion! Well, look no further – here are the only self-care tips you’ll need.
What is the definition of self-care?
The definition of self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve ones own health. I think over the years, this definition has become clouded by things like peers, personal relationships, social media and doctors.
Taking care of your body with basic needs (ie, meals, showers, sleep, etc) is not self-care but can fall under self-care by definition. These things are self-maintenance.
How do I take care of myself as a mother?
My biggest tip for taking care of yourself as a mother and practicing regular self-care is calling on your village and reassessing your to-do list. If it feels like too much to keep up with the housework, kids’ schedules and taking care of yourself, it’s because it IS TOO MUCH. It’s not meant to be a one-person job, contrary to popular belief.
Call on your village to help you with the to-do list and/or watching the kids for you. This is, of course, after your partner has stepped in and you’ve divided up tasks with them.
Reassess your to-do list and see what is on there that can be taken off or handed off to someone else. I promise, you don’t need to do everything on there.
What does self-care look like for a mom?
The definition of self-care for a mom needs a serious overhaul. Taking a shower or eating a hot meal IS NOT self-care. These self-care tips are not your average tips. I’m going to show you how to do self-care correctly, not what to do for self-care.
Self-Care Tips – How to Do Self-Care Correctly
1. Define Self-Care Clearly
Everyone is going to have a different definition of self-care. However, for everyone, it’s important to have a definition of self-care for it to work properly. Self-care for moms should be something you do out of the house, without the kids and makes you feel recharged and refreshed when you return.
2. Take Care of Yourself Daily
This does not mean you need to get out of the house by yourself every single day – that’s not realistic. This means you should be doing things here and there during the day when the kids are home that make you smile and feel recharged. These are called moments of self-preservation and they help to keep your spirits up and your cup full.
3. Do the Right Activities for Self-Care
Yes, there are right and wrong activities for self-care! If you’re not feeling recharged when you return from your self-care, it’s time to reassess what self-care activities work for you. Some enjoy a spa day, some would rather not be touched during their time away. Again, it’s going to be different for everyone, but it should leave you feeling recharged and refreshed.
4. Adjust Your Standards and Expectations
When you return from your self-care activities, do you expect your kids to listen to you? Do you expect your kids to respect you? This is not why we practice self-care. We practice it for ourselves, not anyone else.
Also, some of us need to adjust our expectations and standards of housework and kids routines while we’re gone. If you want to leave, you’re going to have to hand over some of your responsibilities to your partner or someone else so you can get that time away. Sometimes that may mean changing your expectations of housework and how someone else does something.
5. Don’t Wait Too Long
If you’re still having break downs, it means you’re waiting too long to practice self-care. Self-care is isn’t in response to breakdowns, it’s for prevention of breakdowns.
Start taking note of how you feel before a breakdown approaches. How can you get ahead of these in the future? By scheduling self-care more regularly.
6. Ditch the Guilt
Super easy to ditch the guilt surrounding self-care, right? Ha! This is probably one of the biggest road blocks for us as moms when it comes to self-care and getting into a self-care routine. It is essential that you get past the guilt to make sure your self-care habits are effective.
Related Posts
- Is Self-Care Selfish?
- How to Start a Self-Care Routine As a Mom
- Self-Care Vs Self-Maintenance for Moms – What’s the Difference?
