There is no denying that parenthood is a challenging experience. With an endless list of errands, tasks, household responsibilities, and activities to navigate, often alongside a demanding career, it is easy to suddenly find yourself at the bottom of your priority list. But as the age-old saying goes, you cannot give from an empty cup.
Learning to embrace self-care can help you become the mother you want to be. Not only do you benefit from numerous health and wellness improvements, as well as better-managed mental health that can be supported by stress and anxiety supplements, but you can also better showcase kindness, support and empathy to those around you by being that way to yourself first.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is the practice of looking after the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of your life to promote and maintain better health and wellness. While some may view self-care as a form of selfish indulgence, research shows that it is a vital aspect of your personal well-being.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes self-care as the ability to promote and maintain health, prevent disease, and cope with illness and disability. This highlights the primary focus of self-care as preventing or controlling disease and preserving overall well-being through consistently caring for various aspects of one’s health.
The Benefits of Self-Care
Engaging in self-care carries numerous benefits that mothers can significantly benefit from, both mentally and physically. These benefits include mitigating the risk of developing future health issues, such as heart disease, improving self-esteem and personal perception, and allowing for more time to build and maintain strong personal relationships.
Additionally, self-care has been found to significantly enhance your mental health. By practising self-care, you can start to develop skills that will help to better manage and lower stress and anxiety levels. It can also aid in reducing the often debilitating impacts of depression and chronic anxiety.
Implementing Self-Care
The way you choose to embrace self-care will largely depend on the strategies you implement and your ability to fit it into your schedule. As you begin to practice self-care, you will find it easier to make the necessary time to prioritise yourself.
Delegate Help
It may be difficult to admit you need help or are unable to achieve everything you need to do on your own. As the saying goes: ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and this could not be more true for mums looking for ways to implement self-care into their endlessly busy schedules.
Find your village and ask for help. Accept help when it is offered. Not only will it allow you to lessen the load of responsibilities that often fall on your shoulders, but it will also provide you with extra precious moments to focus on yourself and your well-being. Additionally, don’t hesitate to say no to any commitments that don’t interest you or simply don’t fit into your schedule.
Basic Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Focusing your efforts on maintaining healthy lifestyle habits is a fantastic form of self-care. While it may feel impossible to adopt these habits around busy children constantly on the go, aim for seven to eight hours of sleep per night, along with some form of daily physical activity or movement. This can be a walk around the neighbourhood, a fun dance class at a local studio, or a session at the gym.
A healthy and varied diet consisting of lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and calcium-rich dairy will keep you well-fueled and energised to tackle whatever the day ahead may hold. However, don’t be fooled into believing you can’t treat yourself to something delicious and decadent occasionally. Life is all about balance.
Stay Organised
Keeping a calendar or planner updated with essential tasks and upcoming appointments for yourself and your family will help you avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety from unexpected responsibilities that pop up at the last minute.
Should any tasks or appointments overlap, prioritise your tasks so you don’t become overwhelmed and potentially skip over anything accidentally. Identify options that are more time-consuming or less appealing to complete first, or tackle time-sensitive responsibilities to ensure you don’t miss crucial deadlines.
Prioritise ‘Me Time’
Many mums often feel guilty about taking time away from their children and loved ones to enjoy alone time. However, partaking in your favourite hobbies or relaxation activities without your kids and partners is a crucial component of self-care that should never be overlooked. Spending time alone can help you better understand and navigate your thoughts and emotions from the day and give you the necessary opportunity to prepare for potentially stressful situations that may be on the horizon.
Give yourself a moment to breathe and focus on things that make you happy outside of what others may want or expect from you. The most important thing to remember when practising self-care is to be purposeful and realistic. Start small with attainable expectations that can fit into your week, regardless of how chaotic your schedule may be. This will help you keep your ‘me time’ dates as you would with any other appointment.
