Have you ever felt like taking out some time for yourself? As mothers, you probably take care of everyone else first before tending to your own needs.
Let’s first get clear on one common misconception for you – self-care does not mean being selfish. Self-care is a practice that helps you to stay healthy by catering to your own essential needs.
Say no to the million excuses you concoct to neglect self-care as a mom. Let’s get to strategic and practical tips on self-care for moms like you. 
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What is Self-Care?
To begin with, let’s first learn what self-care is. Let’s start from this perspective – suppose you are asked, “Do you take care of yourself?”. Probably, your answer would be YES.
The next question, however, may catch you off guard. If asked, “What methods do you adopt for your self-care?”. This is where you may struggle. Most of us are not even aware of what proper self-care is.
In laymen’s terms, self-care refers to everything you do deliberately to promote your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Being deliberate is an important part of this because everything you do for self-care must be under your conscious control.
Self-care is the root of a balanced life.
Why is self-care important for mothers?
We know finding time for yourself is like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, self-care is a critical part of parenting, as it helps to make you a better parent.
I learned this first hand when I did not take good care of myself and fell sick with a cold when my twins were barely months old.
What I did not realize was that I had lost my sense of smell, and therefore missed a set of badly needed diaper changes.
They both ended up with terrible diaper rashes that took a long time to clear. When my sense of smell finally returned, imagine my relief when I could smell poopy diapers again!
This just goes to show how important it is to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you can help others!
By doing self-care, you will also be reinvigorating yourself to be the best version of yourself for the people around you.
When you show up healthy and happy, your positive attitudes can permeate the whole family.
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Self-care for moms: 32 Tips and Ideas to Help Moms Stay Sane
There are 8 important areas of self-care to consider when you embark on this journey:
- Physical self-care
- Mental self-care
- Emotional self-care
- Professional self-care
- Social self-care
- Environmental self-care
- Spiritual self-care
- Financial self-care
Here are 32 self-care ideas to cover all of these 8 important areas of self-care for your holistic wellbeing:
1. Physical Self-Care
Taking care of yourself physically means making sure that you are nourished, rested, and exercised as often as possible. This should include creating a regular exercise routine, eating three meals per day or more if needed, getting eight hours of sleep per night on most nights, and being mindful about what you put in your body. Some ideas include:
- Doing yoga every morning
- Getting quality sleep at night.
- Nourishing your body by eating clean, nutrient-rich foods.
- Going for a 30 minute morning or evening walk a day.
- Embarking on a mom weight loss journey and getting rid of your mommy tummy.
2. Mental Self-Care
Mental self-care involves trying or learning new things applying rational thinking, practicing mindfulness, and being creative. Some examples of it include:
- Reading a novel or non-fiction book like this one that shows easy ways to stop stressing and start living
- Adopting a new skill
- Practicing mindfulness by joining some groups
- Declutter your brain by doing thought downloads
- Writing in a journal
3. Emotional Self-Care
Navigating your emotions, increasing the level of empathy, improving emotional literacy, developing compassion for others and self, and managing stress efficiently are skills to master for emotional self-care. Some ideas include:
- Writing gratitude texts or notes
- Practice saying no
- Knowing and setting your own boundaries
- Practicing self-compassion
4. Professional Self-Care
Professional self-care involves leveraging your gifts and strengths, understanding the purpose of your actions, and setting clear professional boundaries. Examples include:
- Being aware of your responsibilities
- Navigating your needs
- Attending training programs to keep your skills up-to-date
- Prioritize and plan to increase your productivity
5. Social Self-Care
Surround yourself with social support by having people around you whom you can put your trust. It creates a sense of belonging for you. Some examples of social self-care include:
- Meeting new people
- Asking for help when you are in need
- Respecting your commitment to other people
- Cutting ties with people who make you feel bad
6. Environmental Self-Care
Maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming home and business environment. It also involves cutting down on environmental waste. Examples include:
- Organize and declutter your belongings on a regular basis
- Clean up and properly dispose of recyclable materials
- Reuse and reduce waste as much as possible
- Donate the unused or no longer used items to charity
7. Spiritual Self-Care
Spiritual self-care involves the faiths, beliefs, and values that guide you through your life. Some ideas are:
- Practicing meditation
- Volunteering for an organization that supports your cause
- Reflecting on your ideas in a journal
- Spending time in nature
8. Financial Self-Care
Financial self-care involves being responsible for your finances (that is your income, savings, bills, insurances, living expenses, etc. ) and forming a healthy relationship with money. Some tips include:
- Reflect on your relationship with money
- Track your incomes and expenses
- Paying expenses on time
- Educate yourself on money and investment strategies
How can I practice self-care daily
Now that we have some practical ideas for self-care for moms to try, here are strategies to help you put them into practice on a consistent basis.
1. Stick to your basics
Take some time to recognize your flow and routine. Start small and pick one practice you can commit to for 10 minutes a day. Once you get the hang of it, it’s become an easier and automatic habit for you. You can identify and implement more self-care areas that perform best for you.
2. Plan it out
Self-care is not something that happens out of the blue – you need to actively plan it out. This is an active option, and you must act accordingly. To do so, you must add your activities to the calendar, declare your intended plans to increase your commitment level, and then actively look for more opportunities to try out self-care.
3. Keep a conscious mind
It all eventually comes down to having a conscious mind and choosing to deliberately find the time to take the action on self-care. Simply put, if you do not believe in self-care or won’t take the necessary actions it will not be effective.
We hope these tips on self-care for moms will help you to take the time for yourself and your family. You deserve it!
