Potentially one of the busiest people taking care of other people – all the time. Motherhood is a wild ride of really high emotional highs, and some of the lowest lows a person can experience.
It is hard to take care of yourself when you are busy taking care of everyone else, though. So here are a few small things that you can do in your minimal time, to inject some self-care into your day or week.
Write It Down
This is about the organization of your household. The more organized you are ahead of time, the less you will feel that you are being flung from pillar to post trying to keep up with everything. It is helpful to write everything down as early on in the year as you can. When was Mother’s Day this year? When it the school recital? When are the kids on school vacations? It all matters to you, so do yourself a favour and make a note. You’ll be able to see your free time more clearly then too.
In the same space – at the end of the week or day if it has been a doozy, write down everything that has upset you or gotten you down. Then take another look at the list an hour later. Cross out the ones that weren’t really as big as your thought and the ones that are, make a note about how to resolve them.
Music
It might be tempting to veg out on the couch and watch TV shows after a long day, but try putting on some relaxing music and reading a book. Or put on some upbeat music and dance it out around the kitchen the release some tension. Make some playlists to help with this. Label them up so you can always find what you are looking for, in fact, you can ask Siri or Alexa to play specific playlists for you.
Three Things
Each week, no matter what is going on, try and write down or mentally make a note of three things you are looking forward to. This will help you feel better in the more difficult stress-filled moments in your week. Try and choose something for the start of the week, the middle and the end. So that they are nicely spaced out.
Walk
No matter how busy your week is, go for a weekly walk. Get out there and head for the woods or at the very least near some water. The green of the forests is excellent for your mental health, and will up your productivity. We feel calmer within minutes of walking in the woods, and they are also pretty great for the kids to run around and let off some steam too.
Be Kind
Something that many mums struggle with is, sometimes in the heat of the moment shortness of temper happens. Things are said that hurt everyone. Being tired, busy and frustrated can lead to this pretty quickly. Instead of piling on the guilt – pile on the kindness to you and everyone else in the house. You’ll feel better for it.
Of course, you can still hop in a hot bath, relax those muscles and have 15 minutes peace too.
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