Self-care practices will vary from person to person, but essentially it’s all about enhancing and protecting your personal wellbeing and happiness.
When you’re a busy mum, and your kids are giving you the runaround, this is easier said than done!
When you are caught up in putting your children first, you can forget about your own needs. If this sounds like something you can relate to, perhaps some of these self-care tips could give you a few good ideas!
Get active
Often, making time to get to the gym can seem a little impossible. But the truth is, getting enough exercise is vital to look after our bodies and keep our minds healthy too. If you only have a quick twenty minutes to spare, no matter.
Personally I hate the gym but get yourself into a routine of using any small amount of time that you have to put a quick aerobics video on Youtube. You could also practice a few poses on your yoga mat. You’d be surprised about how much difference a small burst of exercise can make to your mood.
You could even get the kids involved if you can manage it! Children can make fab fitness partners because they have so much energy. Why not try some bodyweight exercises together? From crunches to burpees, or lunges, see if you can keep up with your kids!
Social time
When you are so busy between family life or work life, it can sometimes be difficult to catch up with friends. My long-time bestie and I haven’t seen each other in forever and I’m really feeling the repercussions of it. However, it’s important that you take the time to do so because our social circles can far enrich our wellbeing. Great friends and also give us more of a support network during hard times.
Try and see a friend for drinks, coffee or lunch date at least once every 1-2 weeks. It can be difficult to fit things in, but you can always call upon a willing babysitter or member of the family to help you out. Often, people don’t mind chipping in to help, and you can always return the favor. I know that personally for me, friends are a huge lifeline.
Stimulate your mind
As a mum, it sometimes feels like all your leisure activities are kids shows or kids games! While this can be lots of fun, sometimes your mind will be craving something a little different. Buy some new books or download some new podcasts, get a language learning app or attend a talk about something that interests you. Learning new things works to boost our confidence, inspire us and keep our brains nice and active.
Nurture your body
It’s important to nurture your body as much as you possibly can by giving it plenty of good energy. Ensure that you have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus lots of nutrient-rich superfoods (with a little bit of chocolate thrown in for good measure).
When you are taking care of children, you will need lots of energy and will need to ensure that you don’t become burnt-out. If you are a mother who has recently become pregnant again, this is particularly important. Oral iron for pregnancy can be a great idea to help your body get the supplements that it needs. Enough sleep and plenty of water will also set you up to feel great.
Indulge yourself
One of the best self-care practices that you can do is to indulge yourself in some pampering! This could be anything from taking a long hot bath, having a spa day or going on a shopping spree. Lately, I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps and a bit disconnected from people so I decided to treat myself and have a massage yesterday and it was amazing and I felt so bloody good afterward.
Everyone will have different ways that they like to indulge and treat themselves; it just depends on what works for you personally. It’s so easy to put lots of effort into buying gifts for others and then forget all about giving ourselves a few indulgences.
Write in a journal
Writing in a journal can be a highly therapeutic practice which can help us to take care of our minds.
Often when you have anxieties, writing them down can help you to release the negative energy and figure out solutions. You can also use journals to write down all the things that you are grateful for, which can be an excellent practice to help you to appreciate the little things.
I bought myself a gratitude journal a couple of weeks ago and have made sure to write in it daily and it really makes you appreciate the little things.
Try something new
Trying new things can boost our moods, confidence and extend our social circles too. If there has always been something that you’ve wanted to try, put yourself out there and do it.
It could be anything from a certain kind of dance class, to a sport or an online course. Sometimes a new hobby can really take off, and you can really surprise yourself with some great new skills!
