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I will never forget it. I was standing in my kitchen talking to my husband when all of a sudden I felt myself become dizzy and I started to get shortness of breath. Another moment happened when I was lying down on the couch and the pain in my chest was so intense I knew something was wrong. It was at this moment that I made an appointment with my doctor to get a physical. After talking things over with her, she explained to me that she thinks I am experiencing overwhelm and stress. Being that I am a nursing mom of two small children and my plate is super full, she thinks I needed to slow down and do more things that would allow me to rest and recover. That has been the inspiration behind this post. This is for all the moms that feel burn out coming or they are under the weight of burn out and do not know how to regain traction in their lives. This is for you. I know how you feel and I hope this helps.
30 Self Care Tips For Busy Moms
1. GET A PLANNER. Plan time for you. Make sure you put your “me-time” on your schedule before taking care of everyone else. Click here to get a really great planner I highly recommend. I also love Erin Condren Life Planners as well. You get a $10 Off Coupon for that planner HERE.
2. Figure out what ways cause you to really “rest” and unwind. Everyone is different so either choose one of these suggestions or be inspired to get to know yourself more and how you find rest.
3. Take your vitamins. This is from personal experience but talk to your doctor about how nutrient replenishment can you manage your stress/anxiety and ultimately allowing you to feel fully rested. As I mentioned in my IGTV Show, not all vitamins are created equal. To get what I am talking about I would go watch that video, but here is a great brand that I recommend for a Womens multivitamin, definitely for new moms. (Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor before taking any vitamins.)
4. Give yourself a ton of postpartum GRACE. If you have just had baby within the last year, you may be experiencing hormonal imbalances while your body fully heals. That means your emotions often times can be hijacked and instead of feeling reality you may feel an intense feeling stress or worry. That will cause you to not rest. Once you realize that this is just from your imbalance of emotions, you will allow yourself to feel and to rest.
5. Manicure / Pedicure : Spas in general helps in relaxing. Use Groupon to get a really great deal.
6. Cooking Healthy Meals. This depends on what type of person you are. Honestly I use to hate cooking but after getting married and having kids, cooking healthy meals for my family actually relaxes me! Go figure!
7. Use the END system. E: Energy N: Neutral D: Drain This is system that I learned about through the Best Self Company. They have these weekly pads that help you have more productive weeks. Again for someone that plans things out, this helps me to do a brain dump.
8. Reading a book for fun. I like to find books that allow me to escape into the fiction world of a character. Or even biographies that helps me learn more about a particular person life. If you love reading it actually helps you to rest this is good. A lot of times, moms have a hard to reading so audio books are their friend. You can do that as well.
9. Journaling. This has been on almost every post because I truly believe in journaling. There is something about getting your thoughts out on paper.
10. Go To BED! I don’t think I need to go into detail on this one. All the mommas say…..amen!
11. Find 15 minutes of rest throughout the day. Whether that is waking up 15 minutes earlier, that 15 minutes in the car alone or having 15 minutes after a shower. Really cherish those times and try not to multi-task moving on to the next thing. Try your best to just be in the moment and rest, even if its quick.
Here are few ideas from my friend Taylor Simon, mother of miracle twins and owner of Divine Desires graphic design company.
12. Let go of mom guilt. Do the best you can and let go of the rest.
13. Try to work on keeping flawless skin so you don’t feel the need to put on a full face of make-up every day. That takes time! But if your skin looks great then you can have confidence in that and saving more time.
14. Bath-time rest. She enjoys just relaxing in the bathtub with spa instrumentals playing or an audio book. She also enjoys doing her toes as well.
15. Her time with God. Her time with God has been key in her self-care. She really believe self-care is healthcare. Amen to that Taylor! Time with God is where it all begins.
16. Working Out! This is HUGE! Most people don’t realize how much working out makes you feel better. Definitely one I’m working on do more of this year.
17. Drinking water. Essential to our overall health including our emotional and mental well-being! Thank you Taylor.
A few more to add to your list to try:
18. Netflix and chill, by yourself or with your significant other. The reason I say by yourself is because you can chose the show without feeling like the other person may not enjoy it.
19. Go get your favorite cupcake (or desert) and REALLYYYYY enjoy it.
20. Go to a park and just sit and listen to nature
21. Go to the lake and feed the ducks or watch the water. It is SOOOO relaxing.
22. Start a blog. Just imagine you have a tribe of people listening to your every word and start writing. It’s super therapeutic and you just might inspire someone. A great resource to get started is here.
23. Go see puppies. Don’t buy them, just pet them, they are so cute and cuddly! (If you like animals)
24. Go to the Farmers Market alone. I like to get all my favorite fruits and enjoy them later that day or week.
25. Find your favorite Broadway show and enjoy!
26. Go to the museum either alone or with your spouse. Don’t think about anything…just enjoy.
27. Worship concert. This is one new that I didn’t think I would enjoy as an introvert but when I went to a Hillsong United concert it was the BEST self-care ever!
28. Shopping…retail therapy anyone!! Have a budget and try to stay within it to make it fun and responsible.
29. Plan your next trip. This is something I love to do so it may not be relaxing for everyone but its relaxing for me.
30. Visit an elderly family member. For me the elderly are super relaxing people to be around. They have great stories and the environments are just slower. Grandma’s house is perfect!
I hope that helped! Just make sure you do what works for you! Comment below any more ideas you all have for self-care!