One of the most difficult challenges a lot of moms face with self-care, is finding the time to fit it in. When you live a busy lifestyle, it can seem almost impossible to find extra time to look after you. But, it is so important to find ways to balance self-care.
As a mom, my daily schedule and routine is often centered and dictated by someone else’s needs. I am constantly checking the time until the next mealtime or nap and subtracting how many minutes I have to get anything done! The idea of doing something for myself can sometimes feel like a luxury, but a luxury I can’t afford to skip.
When I take care of myself, I am better equipped to take care of my family, work, friends, etc. I just operate better when all cylinders are charged and at 100 percent.
What is self-care and why you need it
Self-care relates to anything and everything that attributes to your physical and mental well-being. The World Health Organization defines self-care as: “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”.
When we get away from seeing self-care as a luxury but rather a necessity, we see the importance of it and how it contributes to our over all well-being.
Self-care is one of the great benefits of self love. Practicing self love is the best way to care not only for you but for your loved ones too.
So, how can you balance self-care with a busy lifestyle? Here are some great tips you can follow.
Practice a healthy work-life balance
It is easy to fall into the trap of being overworked and under cared. When this happens our overall health takes a toll. Exhaustion, anxiety, depression all lead to less productivity and various health issues.
The importance of a healthy work-life balance can not be taken for granted. Feeling overwhelmed can often result in less productivity. Look for ways to incorporate your self-care during your work hours. Set an alarm to take a mental break from work every 2 hours where you can stretch, walk around, and take deep breaths. If you work from home, set office hours that you can stick to.
Establishing professional boundaries will not only make you more productive but is also an opportunity to practice balancing your self-care.
RELATED: Increase Productivity When Feeling Overwhelmed
Balance self-care by scheduling it in
A good tip you can follow to ensure you can fit self-care into your busy routine, is to schedule it in. Think about it, you schedule in everything else, so why not self-care? When you set a time to focus on yourself, you are much more likely to stick to it. No matter how busy you think you are, there will always be time for self-care somewhere in your schedule.
Literally, put your self-care into your calendar. Rather than say, I will work out 3 times a week, write it down into your calendar. If you have extra time between meetings, child drop offs or daytime naps, schedule your self-care activities into this time. Even if it is only 10-15 minutes, schedule self-care activities that you can do during this short amount of time.
By putting it into your calendar you are giving it importance and being intentional.
Establish a morning routine
If you are struggling to find the best time of day to practice self-care, you might find it easier in the morning. Mornings can be tricky at all stages of parenting, but if you can allow yourself to get up before your kids, you will discover the precious golden hour of the day. This can be the perfect opportunity to practice self-care.
Establishing a morning routine is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. You can take control of your day rather than your day taking control of you
Alternatively, you could focus on self-care in the evenings after the little ones are in bed. Evening self-care is one of my favorites as it can be a great way to unwind from the day.
Look at automating daily tasks
There are all kinds of tools and gadgets that can automate various aspects of our lives. If you are constantly busy, you’ll find automating certain tasks can be a game changer.
For example, you could switch from going to the grocery store, to ordering groceries online. If you have items you frequently purchase, these can be added to your favorites list, making it easier to add them to your order next time. Doing your grocery shopping online can free up a lot of time during the week that can be used on self-care.
The less you have to think about the “administrative” side of life, the more mental space you have to balance self-care.
Set realistic expectations
Grant yourself grace whenever possible. Remind yourself that as best you may try, you cannot do it all. One easy way to balance self-care is being okay with saying “no” when necessary and knowing that you are making the room to say “yes” to what you really want.
Start small
You don’t have to start by completely overhauling your lifestyle. Instead, you can start small with self-care. Begin by taking just 10 minutes out of each day to focus on a self-care activity. Focus on developing one positive self-care habit at a time. Once you have mastered that, you can move on to the next task.
By starting small, it makes it easier to fit self-care into your busy life. Many people mistakenly think they need to begin with at least 30 minutes a day. The truth is, however much time you can free up for self-care is enough. Once you get started, you’ll find it easier to start focusing more on self-care due to the benefits you experience.
Balance self-care
Overall, balancing self-care with a busy lifestyle isn’t always easy. It won’t come overnight, however, the tips above can really help you incorporate the balance you need to prioritize self-care.
Remember, self-care is essential to your health and wellbeing. So, no matter how busy you are, you should always try and make time for self-care daily.