Self-help activities for busy moms to stay healthy

Self-care is important for everyone because it is an act of self-love. As mothers, we have to give our children love and patience, lots of it. If you don't make time to love and pamper yourself, your cup will be empty. And how do you know how you can pour from an empty cup?

And especially if you believe in careful parenting, you have to have a lot of patience. Mom burnout is real. 

Self-care can help you become your best self as a person and mother. It helps take care of our health and well-being along with the health of our family.

It is true that there are sacrifices involved when you are a parent. However, you should give due importance to your life and your desires other than as a parent. Self-care will help you stay in touch with yourself and improve your self-esteem.

SELF CARE IDEAS FOR MOMS

MOVE

The hardest thing for a mother to do is exercise, so it's the easiest thing to put off.

But the energy that exercise gives is huge and can change your day. You have better energy to take care of your family and do all the housework.

I understand that you may not have time for an hour-long exercise. But everyone can squeeze a 10-minute warm-up or 20-minute workout into their schedule. Or just take a walk around the block. The time you invest in exercise will increase your productivity, energy, and focus, ultimately giving you more time in your day.

WAKE UP BEFORE YOUR KIDS

Getting up with kids has always been stressful for me. Because as soon as you wake up, you have to start asking them to go about their daily routine. Or, if you're lucky, you might start playing referee as soon as you get up because nobody wanted to go to the bathroom in the first place. But now everyone wants to go first.

Starting the day stressed is not a good feeling at all. Try getting up earlier than the kids, and you will feel the difference in mood. Take time for yourself by having a coffee or doing some self-care.

PRACTICE Mindfulness

Mindfulness, or being present at the moment, reduces your anxiety. Being present means you're not thinking about your to-do list. Being present means taking advantage of the moment you have right now.

You feel the warmth of your sleeping baby's fist and watch his tummy slowly rise up and down as he sleeps. Or you just look at a freshly blooming flower in your garden, enjoying its beauty.

You can practice mindfulness anywhere, anytime. It removes stress from your daily life and makes you happier. What is stress anyway? You think about how things could go wrong in the future, and now you worry about it. It didn't even happen, and most of the things that bother us don't happen anyway.

Now we have only the present moment with us, and nothing else is within our grasp, because not even the next second is promised to us. Mindfulness reminds you of the beauty of the present moment. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by anxiety, I try to practice mindfulness. It helps me calm my mind and be happy.

CHAT WITH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

Call the people you love once in a while and talk to them. Meet with your friends once a month by dropping off your baby at grandma's house or making a date with other moms.

TAKE A NAP OR SLEEP

Sleep is another luxury when you're a mom. Take a nap whenever you have 20 minutes. Even a nap can be so refreshing and bring fresh energy without crashing at noon.

And have days without an alarm to go to sleep on the weekends. When I'm sleep-deprived, I abandon my morning routine and choose to sleep in on Sunday or any other holiday if I'm in sleep debt.

Listen to your body and never delay sleep. It makes you a tired and grumpy mom, and no one likes it.

BINGE-WATCH NETFLIX

Watching your favorite shows is another way to show confidence. It's a way to escape the stress of everyday life into another world from your living room.

But be careful, schedule time for it. Do this on days when you can sleep. Staying up late watching and waking up like a zombie can make for an unproductive day.

TIME PLANNING FOR CHILDREN

 If your children are older, you have time off when they go to school. But if your kids are younger, it's hard to take time off.

But as they say, it takes a village to raise a child. It couldn't be truer. Make someone you trust look after your children while you take time off for yourself.

Even asking your husband to take care of your baby, so you can have some alone time in the other room, will do you good.

INVEST TIME IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

I have a favorite class in the morning, and it's the absolute best part of my day. In the morning, I invest 30-45 minutes (depending on time availability) or less into my morning routine.

My morning routine consists of daily planning, visualization, reassessing my goals, setting intentions for the day, light exercise, affirmations, habit tracking, meditation, etc.

WATCH YOUR DIET

You want your kids to eat broccoli and blueberries, but whatever healthy food you make for them, make it in excess, so you can eat it too.

One of the reasons why moms try to lose weight is the habit of eating leftovers on the baby's plate. Or you heat up one slice of sandwich made four days ago because you don't want to waste food.

Such mindless eating habits make you unhealthy and sick in the long run. Teach your children to eat what is on their plate and only give them what they can eat.

HYDRATE

I used to feel very tired. I blamed it on being anemic, but later realized it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. Not drinking enough water can leave you exhausted.

I set myself on my habit tracker to drink at least two liters of water a day. Since then, I try to drink enough water. And I don't feel tired anymore.

If you are a breastfeeding mom, make sure to drink a glass of water every time you feed your baby.

GET OUT AND GET IN THE SUN

Getting out into nature has many benefits, including reducing stress and improving your health and happiness.

Nature always has something to offer. Just looking at the sky or walking on the grass or watching a bird fly in with food to feed the little ones can lift your spirits.

Exercising outdoors can help break the monotony and boost your energy levels. It also helps to obtain vitamin D, which is otherwise difficult to obtain from food.

Although self-care is usually something you do for yourself, I like to spend some fun time with the kids outside. It benefits us all and makes everyone happy.

CONVERSATION WITH YOUR BETTER HALF

Like my morning routine, I look forward to a nice heart-to-heart conversation with my husband at the end of the day.

It could be sharing how your day went, funny things your kids said, discussing your future plans or sharing your worries.

Sharing will help you relax and also help increase the connection between the two of you.

DO NOTHING

Who said self-care is only about “doing things”? As moms, we're always on the go to accomplish the next item on your bucket list.

But you know what I long for sometimes? Throw away the list and do nothing! Forget everything else, just yourself and your thoughts. Just be.