Springtime is quickly creeping into summer, and along with the transition comes beautiful weather for outdoor activities and many excuses to host and be hosted by your lady friends. Spring also happens to be the notorious time of year for “spring cleaning” of hearth and heart, i.e. planning summer schedules for your family, tying up loose ends at work and at home, and generally wearing the many hats that arrive with motherhood. Whether it’s installing new windows, touching up the paint in your living room, cleaning out the attic, landscaping your garden or planning a Memorial Day soiree for friends and family, May is a busy month. For new mommas, the arrival of Memorial Day weekend can feel more like a stressful time than a celebratory one. Although, given the right perspective and a little effort, summer’s eve can be considered a magical time like it used to be before the responsibilities of nurturing a family, especially if we emphasize the importance of self care for moms.
There are a lot of reasons to love the month of May — the flowers are blooming, there are extra hours of daylight, and beach season is just around the corner. May brings a number of reasons to celebrate, including Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and more. With these holidays, however, can come pressure for moms. Often times, moms feel that they are expected to host parties and get-togethers for family members or friends. Hosting can be creative and exciting, getting to share special moments with the people you care about most. At the same time, it takes a lot of time and energy for moms to plan events and to entertain guests. Between taking care of little one(s), working and entertaining, it can be difficult for moms to find time to take care of themselves and even enjoy themselves. It is important to find a balance between spring cleaning, preparing for summer and taking time for yourself. Enforcing self care is one of the best ways moms can implement this balance.
Why is it important to enforce self care for moms?
You may be thinking to yourself, how could I possibly take time to nurture myself when I’m trying to juggle schedules and responsibilities for the rest of my family, and maybe even my career too? The answer: trial and error.
Self care for moms is often overlooked. As a mom, it can be difficult to justify taking time for yourself, and catering to your own needs and wants. Thinking about yourself can sometimes feel like you’re being selfish as you should be focusing all your time and energy on your family.
Although it may seem nearly impossible that self care for moms should take priority every once in a while, enforcing that time is extremely important and healthy. Not only will this benefit you, but it will benefit your family as well. Taking time to enforce self care allows mommas to relax, take a break from their busy schedules and recuperate. Self care allows moms to feel rejuvenated. Even taking thirty minutes here and there can help moms feel less stressed, and in turn, perform everyday tasks more effectively. Self care for moms is essential.
How to enforce self care for moms?
Our advice, especially for new moms, is to enforce self care early on. Making self care part of your routine will put you in the habit of actually doing it. Integrating this early on will also make this become second nature. The rest of your family will see this as part of normal life, and expect you to take time to yourself.
To read more about how to enforce self care for moms, and the benefits of self care for moms, check out our blog post from earlier this year!
Three self care ideas for moms during the holidays
Self care is especially important during the hectic times that come with the holidays. Here are 5 self care ideas for moms that can help you unwind. Our recommendation is to take this Memorial Day long weekend as an excuse to give yourself the extra attention you deserve. Your spouse or family member can help fill in during this time, and your only responsibility will be to trust that you can let yourself retreat and relax. Consider sharing the experience with your partner as a way to kindle your intimacy and share in the excitement of taking a long weekend for yourself. If you want some ideas about ways to incite romance after baby arrives, we wrote a blog on that as well. Forgo the urge to entertain this Memorial Day weekend, or otherwise let your pals know why you are skipping their festivities this time around. Although some of these suggestions may seem small, they are guaranteed to help your overall health, mood and attitude.
1) Write in a journal
Journaling has a multitude of benefits. Writing requires mindfulness, which pushes you to be observant and in tune with yourself. Self care is all about connecting with yourself. Journaling helps balance emotions, and requires you to set time aside to think, process, dream and explore. Journaling can also inspire creativity. There is no right or wrong way to journal. Writing down anything and everything that comes to mind will allow your imagination to wander and keep a record of it. There are also many health benefits to journaling. Writing down your feelings allows you to release things you wouldn’t expect. It can be therapeutic and cleansing. Being able to write about your anxieties, frustrations, pains, successes, good times and joy prevents you from bottling up emotions that accumulate as stress. Reflecting on your day or your experiences, and expressing yourself in a way no one ever has to see can be very good for your mind, body and soul. Not to mention, writing in a journal is a great way to keep track of memories your little one says so that you’ll never forget.
2) Take a long shower or bath
Giving yourself an extra twenty minutes in the bath will allow for more time for yourself. Relaxing, reflecting, and rejuvenating before going to bed can do your body wonders. Not to mention, there are many health benefits to taking baths. Bathing can help your muscles, joints, and bones. Running around all day taking care of your kiddos can put a lot of stress on your body, and bathing can help soothe those aches and pains. Cleansing yourself is also a large part of self care, that can make you feel better day in and day out. Using a dry brush before bathtime will help trough off dead skin and improve blood and lymph circulation.
3) Meditate
Meditation is “mental hygiene,” according to Shrimati Bhanu Narasimhan, a meditation instructor in Washington DC. “Meditation is mind without agitation.” Meditation can help improve concentration as you center yourself and focus your energy. It can increase self-awareness and happiness, while reducing stress and anxiety. Letting go of mental distractions and being more aware and attentive will allow you to be in touch with your body. The benefits of meditation are endless, and are a great way to enforce self care for moms.
There are many ways to implement self care for moms, and not all of them are time commitments. Find a way that helps you relieve stress and relax, and do that as often as you can or need. Enforcing self care for moms is essential in having a balanced, healthy life.