Moms everywhere are overwhelmed. There is too much to do, not enough time, and it seems like everyone else has it all together while you're floundering. I hear you. I've BEEN you (and some days I still am). But I have found some simple self care tricks to use that have helped me fight the overwhelm and get control of my day and my life.
SIMPLE SELF CARE FOR MOMS
Keep water on your bedside table. When you wake up in the morning take an extra minute to drink the water and just breathe. Too many of us charge into our days at full speed and never slow down. You can find one minute out of your day to hydrate your body and give your mind a moment to fully engage.
Become A Rock Star In Your Car. This is one of my very favorite ways to change my mood! You can do this while driving the kids to school, driving yourself to work, running errands - any time you're in the car. Bring your favorite song (or songs) along with you and ROCK OUT. Sing at the top of your lungs, play air guitar or drums at red lights, make funny rock star faces. Embrace joy and release anger and stress, even if only for a few minutes.
Take A Non-Smoking Break. One of the things I missed when I quit smoking was the way it broke up my day. I loved walking outside and having a few minutes to myself. But there is really no reason it should only be smokers who get smoke breaks! The easiest way to do this is to put it on your calendar or on your phone. Two or three times a day just stop for a moment, walk outside and take a deep breath, do some stretching, or read a few pages of a good book.
Pump The Breaks. Transitions can add stress to our days without us even knowing. Do you find that your mind is still at work when you come home? Or that you're thinking about your to-do list while picking your kids up from school? Our minds work best when they are focused on one thing at a time, so give yourself an extra thirty seconds to really stop doing one task before you start the next. This can be as simple as a deep breath and a count to five. When your mind starts wandering to what you just left take another deep breath and bring it back to the here and now.
Celebrate Your Day. It is human nature to focus on the negative - the deadline you missed, the pile of laundry undone, the note that never got signed for school. Yet every day you've done so many things right that you never acknowledge. At the end of your day take a moment or two to list all of the things you accomplished that day. You can write them down, say them out loud, or simply think about them. Train your brain to notice and celebrate yourself. Sometimes these will be small: kept everyone alive, fed all of the humans and animals in my house. Celebrate it all!
WHY IT WORKS
These may seem like really simple, small actions to take. And they are, but they are also very powerful. These are exercises in joy, patience, forgiveness, and connection with self. We all crave these things, but we may not know how to get them. The simple answer is: do a little bit every day.
"We are what we repeatedly do."
Aristotle said that and it's true. You can make big changes by introducing or breaking small habits. As moms it can be so hard to step back and see all that we are doing right, all the ways in which we could be nicer to ourselves, and how much grace we need and deserve.
What are your favorite simple self-care tips? Let me know in the comments!