10 SELF-CARE TIPS FOR BUSY MOMS

Self-care tips have a tendency to be impractical and hard to implement in your daily life. As a busy mom, you may slightly cringe at the thought of self-care as your busy schedule doesn’t allow for it. Or you may think that self-care involves spending lots of money on luxury pampering days sipping on champagne.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words Self-Care? Do you think of expensive spa days? Drinking a margarita on a yacht in the Bahamas? Although those are great self-care ideas, they may not be practical.

What if I was to say that this is far from what self-care is and that it can be done affordably? Of course, taking a child-free vacation or visiting the spa is lovely however it is not realistic for most mothers to do that type of self-care routinely.

These self-care tips are easily applicable to your hectic schedule and can help achieve self-care in your daily routine efficiently.

10 Self-Care Tips for Busy Moms

Here are some easily applicable self-care tips for busy moms. These tips are an easy way to help you in implementing self-care in your day-to-day schedule.

Self-Care doesn’t require a lot of time. In fact, it can be practiced in as little as 5 minutes a day.

Mindfulness

Implementing mindfulness into your day as part of your self-care routine can do wonders, especially for your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

Practicing mindfulness has been associated with changes to numerous parts of the brain as mentioned in Mindfulness Studies. Mindfulness can also help to reduce stress, improve sleep, and help you to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and appreciate what you have in life.

Mindfulness can include:

Mindful eating

Mindful eating is about your awareness of the foods you put in your body. It’s about how you approach food, the emotions you feel when you are eating, and your purpose surrounding food.

Mindful activities

Practicing mindful activities are designed to help you become more aware of the present moment. It can be an activity to help calm and relax you. It can include meditation, yoga, and journaling.

Focusing on breathing techniques

Implementing a breathing technique as part of being mindful can help you switch off your thoughts and feelings and can help regulate your mood.

Learning techniques of forgiveness and trusting yourself and others

These forms of mindfulness are to help you establish skills towards healthier relationships and adopt a positive attitude towards acceptance when making mistakes, or when things don’t go to plan.

Being present in the moment

This encourages you to stop and be aware of what is happening around you at the current moment. This helps you to focus on the present rather than the past.

Boost Your Brain

A brain boost is simply an activity that can help you to refocus and help to align your concentration and help to clear your mind.

There are several ways you can boost your brain:

• Writing in a journal
• Reading a book
• Completing a crossword

Self-Care is so important for productivity and focus. Treating your brain to some much-needed self-care can help improve and increase just that.

Add A Pamper Day to Your Calendar

This is one of my favorite self-care tips! Going to the spa or beauty salon is a great way to treat yourself. You can make it extra special by inviting your girlfriends to join you.

Although going to the spa or salon is a great way to pamper yourself, a pamper day doesn’t have to be at a beauty salon or spa. It doesn’t have to cost money. It can be from the comfort of your own home with simple on-hand items.

Pampering yourself in the comfort of your home can include:

• Running a hot bath
• Watching a movie by yourself in peace
• Take a nap
• Buying yourself some flowers
• DIY facial

Whether you decide to visit the spa or do a home DIY self-care pamper day, as long as you take time for yourself that is what truly matters.

Schedule Social Time

Social time is also another important part of any self-care routine. It can help improve your mental health by lifting your mood and helping to increase your happiness.

Use social time to catch up, have a chat, get certain things off your mind and reconnect with friends and family.

There are so many great ways to socialize:

• Have a lunch date with friends
• Plan a Girl’s weekend
• Join a Moms Group
• Go on a walk with family or friends
• Schedule a playdate with other moms and their children

Rekindle a Hobby or Try Something New

Finding a hobby you enjoy can help reduce your stress and unwind.

If you already have a hobby then try and incorporate this into your weekly routine as this can be an effective self-care tip to get into the habit of.

If you are yet to find a hobby you enjoy, you can actively start to make time in your schedule to try out new and different activities until you find one you love.

Although hobbies can be done alone they don’t have to be. They can be a whole family affair. If you are having a hard time getting your creative juices flowing seasonal bucket lists are a fun way to get out as a family and enjoy each other’s company.

Sneak in Exercise

Exercise can leave you feeling wonderful and the amazing feeling you get from achieving a workout is so rewarding. When you find a workout or an exercise you love it can make all the difference.

Keeping active can help to burn calories, stay fit, and feel good about yourself. Remember that exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym.

Some examples of staying active include:

• Playing tag outside with the kids
• Washing the car
• Going on a beach walk
• Cleaning the house
• Dancing

Eat Healthy

Eating healthy should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle. Staying healthy by eating a variety of well-balanced foods can ensure your health, mind, and body is in the best condition possible.

Taking the time to meal prep and provide yourself with nourishing well-balanced meals is a form of self-care and one well worth implementing into your daily routine.

A wonderful way to help get your meals organized is to use a meal planner and grocery list.

Wake up Early

Starting your day when the rest of the family, in particular, the kids are still asleep can ensure some much-needed ‘me time’.

Whether that means getting a workout in, having a cup of coffee and journaling in peace, or taking a shower and eating breakfast in silence can all count towards self-care and a little alone time.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Getting adequate sleep is a basic but essential part of self-care for both mental and physical health. It allows your body to rest and recover.

Sleep also helps promote better performance both physically and mentally as it allows your brain and body to have time to slow down and for processes like hormones and skin cells to regenerate. This is one of the most important self-care tips that can be easily forgotten yet very effective.

Don’t Forget Your Health and Well-being

As a mom, we tend to prioritize taking care of and ensuring that our family’s overall health is taken care of. We often overlook our own health.

Make sure you keep up with important and essential routine appointments such as:

• Physicals & Doctors Visits
• Dental appointments
• Pap Smears
• Eye Exams
• Mammograms

How to Incorporate Self-Care into your Busy Schedule

Knowing how to schedule time in your day to ensure you achieve self-care throughout the day is an important skill to learn and a good habit to make.

Ensuring you incorporate self-care breaks and activities into your routine and daily schedule along with prioritizing will ensure you are managing your time efficiently.

Evaluate your Schedule and Daily Routine

In order for you to achieve self-care in your day, it is essential to plan out your day and week.

As you list in your journal or diary the tasks and other activities for the day, you need to assess and evaluate if your schedule allows for self-care to be added. Don’t try and overbook and overwhelm yourself, if you can’t fit it into your schedule every day that is okay! Some days have more going on than overs. Your goal is to routinely implement it in your schedule.

So evaluate your week and what you are doing during the day and slip in “you time” periodically. If you can modify your schedule to ensure you get that time implemented do it. If not, schedule it for later during the week when life isn’t as crazy.

Start Gradually and Be Consistent

Consistency is key to building foundations and structure. When you perform a task or activity repetitively it helps to establish and reinforce your routine that over time will become a daily habit.

Gradually start to implement self-care into your schedule. Slowly start to do things that improve your health and well being so self-care doesn’t becoming overwhelming. You don’t have to do it every week but start implementing time for yourself routinely.

Set Yourself up for Success

Set yourself up a daily ritual you can stick to. A realistic schedule will help you to establish good habits and help you make a positive start to your day.

There are a variety of ways to set yourself up for success such as:

• Fill your pantry with healthy snacks and your favorite flavored tea or coffee for when you need a break and time out.
• Have a journal on hand so when you need to express yourself and debrief your emotions it will be there and ready for you.
• Stock up on some self-care items like face masks, sunscreen, bath bombs, moisturizing creams, nail polish, and essential oils.
• Have your pleasure reading books or magazines picked out and purchased

Final Thoughts

Essential Self-Care comes in many forms and as long as you are getting fulfillment out of such activities you are doing a good thing for your body and mind.

Ultimately looking after yourself, putting yourself first some of the time, and doing things that spark joy are all part of a successful self-care routine.

It is so hard to carve time out for yourself as a busy mom with a tight schedule. If you can find time to fill up your cup periodically this will benefit the whole family because you will be at your best physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I hope you found these self-care tips to be helpful and practical.