Being a mom is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, but it can also be exhausting. If you have found yourself feeling burnt out, or simply want some wellness tips, then this article is for you.
In this article, I run through some of my top wellness and self-care tips for exhausted moms.
How Can A Busy Mother Stay Healthy?
It is possible to stay healthy during motherhood with a little bit of organization. Keeping yourself as organized as possible, and predicting the times when you perhaps won’t be—and catering for those times too—is how you’re going to stay healthy during motherhood.
During motherhood, there are a lot of balls to juggle, but the great thing with kids is that they thrive with boundaries, routines, and schedules. Try to get you, and your little ones, into a routine that suits you all.
1. Adequate Sleep
Getting better sleep is probably already on your to-do list, but this is also a reminder! Getting adequate sleep is really important for your overall health and well-being. Sleep deprivation can cause stress and a lack of clarity along with affecting overall cognitive function so it’s vital to get enough sleep as a mom.
2. Healthy Meals
Meal planning and prepping are going to be your savior when you’re exhausted and too tired to cook, but need a healthy meal.
Meal plan and prep in advance and freeze your meals so that you always have a healthy, home-cooked meal at hand. Healthy eating is a vital part of staying healthy and happy!
You’ll want to make sure that you have a good balance of all the important food groups such as lean protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates.
If you need some inspiration on quick and easy healthy recipes for overwhelmed moms then check out my article here.
3. Healthy Snacks
Being a mom on the go can be crazy. It’s non-stop. Ensuring that you have healthy snacks and healthy food in the house as opposed to junk food ensures that between meals or on the go you have food that is nutritious for you. Nutritious food helps to support your overall health and wellness, whereas junk food is a sure way to make you feel worse overall.
4. Physical Activity and Exercise
Physical activity and exercise are important for all moms, but if you have experienced weight gain after having kids that is hard to shift, or you simply want to build a healthy lifestyle, then regular moderate exercise is going to help you to feel loads better.
Moderate and regular physical activity is known to be beneficial to physical and mental health. A medical journal by Brain Plasticity notes that bodies of medical research have found that exercise improves mood, enhances emotional health, and decreases stress levels.
A clinical review by Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy also notes that physical exercise plays an important role in preventing and treating a wide range of diseases. They also found that physical activity is highly likely to prevent and treat some of the most common mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression.¹
One of the best ways that you can stay healthy as a mom is by ensuring that you get regular physical activity into your weekly schedule. This can be 10 minutes of yoga daily, or two fitness classes per week—whatever works for you.
If you need some help and inspiration for fitness ideas then here is some inspiration. And you can also download my habit tracker which helps to make sure that you’re on task with your commitment to your wellness.
How Do I Pamper Myself As A Mom?
Pampering yourself as a mom is a very unique and individual journey. What works for you might not work for someone else. And what is special to you, and regarded as pampering to you, might not be for someone else. Quite often pampering is referred to synonymously with self-care.
Pampering yourself is really a treat. Perhaps it’s something that you don’t get to do every day, but it is something that makes you feel good, restored, happy, wholesome, and fulfilled.
Here are some of my ideas on how you can pamper and restore yourself as a busy mom.
What Do Moms Do For Self-Care?
1. Social Media Breaks
Having a break from social media is one of the best ways to engage in self-care. Having a weekend or week off of social media can be regarded as pampering your mind and soul as you detach from the busy and chaotic world around you and start focusing inward.
Social media can be a really great way to connect with friends and family, and even to find a wider support network of moms too. But social media can also be time-consuming along with increasing stress. On social media, you’re exposed to a lot of curated highlight reels, and this can be unhelpful if you’re a new mom or experiencing postpartum depression.
2. Breath Meditation
Deep breathing and breath meditation are great ways to relieve stress and come back to the present moment. If you’d like some peace and quiet, then taking 5 minutes for a breath meditation is a great way to pamper your mind and soul.
Focusing on the breath can also be great if you’re needing to take a 5’er—a 50-minute break from your kids—when you’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s a really effective way to self-soothe and calms your central nervous system when you’re feeling anxious, frustrated, or stressed.
3. Relaxing Baths
A relaxing bath is a wonderful way to pamper and engage in some really vital self-care. The great thing about baths is that they work on the body, mind, and soul.
Run yourself a nice hot bath with aromatic bubbles and some great essential oil and soak your troubles away. I also really love using Epsom salts and Himalayan bath salts for a deep purifying cleanse. I also love having a special music playlist that is specifically for my relaxing bath times.
4. Steam Room and Sauna or Spa
If going to the gym is part of your weekly physical exercise routine, you might be able to take advantage of the steam room and sauna if they have one. If not, why not regularly take yourself off to the spa? Much like a relaxing bath, this is a great way to decompress and unwind the body, mind, and soul.
If you’re super busy then you might need to arrange some child care so that you can get this one into your regular schedule. Or if you’re a super busy mom you might prefer to opt for the relaxing bath at home once your kids are in bed.
5. Face Mask and Hair Mask
A face mask and a hair mask are one of my favorite ways to feel pampered. You can easily pop on a face mask and hair mask and leave it on whilst you’re going about your daily chores. Or you can incorporate it into your bath ritual and put on a face mask and hair oil mask before you soak in the tub.
There are lots of great face masks and hair masks to choose from, or you can make your own DIY clay face mask and hair oil mask at home. For the clay mask, all you’ll need is bentonite clay. Simply mix some pure bentonite clay with a little water and apple cider vinegar for a purifying, gently exfoliating, and detoxing face mask. Apply to the face and wait until it’s dry before washing it off.
And to make your own hair oil mask all you’ll need is coconut oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil. Mix the three oils together and massage them into your hair and scalp. Leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes before shampooing and conditioning it as usual.
6. Get Some Vitamin D
Getting some vitamin D is not only great for your mental health, but it’s also a great way to feel pampered. You can do this by laying out by the pool in summer if you’re lucky enough to have one! Or simply by taking a 10 to 20-minute walk around the block every day.
I always feel refreshed and restored after taking a walk out in the sunshine. And the great thing about this is that you can also take the kids for a walk or to the pool if you don’t have childcare.
7. Affirmations
I find that positive affirmations are a great way for me to stay on top of a healthy mindset. If I find myself experiencing unwanted intrusive thoughts, I will collate a bunch of affirmations that help me to counteract the intrusive thought.
You can use positive affirmations every day, or whenever you specifically need them. And they can be a powerful way to engage in self-care and pampering for your mind and soul.
How To Slow Down As A Mom
It is really vital to get a good balance for a healthy lifestyle as a mom otherwise you’ll probably end up with parental burnout. New parents tend to struggle the most with finding balance because parenthood is new, however, you might also struggle as you introduce new babies to your already existing family too.
Even though you might experience separation anxiety from your little ones as a new parent, it really is important to get a good balance between nurturing your identity as a mom, and your individual identity too. Establishing this boundary as soon as possible can help you to feel better overall. Especially if you’re engaging in self-care when you get some separation between you and your little loved one.
You might also experience mom guilt when getting some space from your children, but it is vital to look after yourself to avoid becoming a tired mom—because an overly exhausted mom isn’t being the best mom she can be!
Understand that slowing down and taking time for yourself is vital in being a good mom, and give yourself the permission to have relaxation as an important task in your schedule. If you’re a single mom you might need to ask for support from a family member so that you can get a good self-care routine going in your life, or you might be able to afford child care. Work out what’s best for you and how you can regularly slow down and pamper yourself in self-care.
If you’re a working mom, slowing down might look like having a good amount of time off when you need it to rest and recuperate. Slowing down looks different for all of us. Journaling can be a great way to work out what ‘slowing down’ means for you.
Slowing down can be cutting things out of your life that don’t currently serve you. Or it can be using spare time to meditate in silence, as opposed to scrolling on Instagram. Slowing down can be meal prepping so that you’re not constantly running around last minute to make meals. And slowing down can be letting go of mom guilt and giving yourself some grace.
Are you trying to do too much, all the time? Do some journaling and work out what you can release from your life and schedule and give yourself permission to let go. You’re doing the best you can, and you’re a great mom just as you are!
If you want some tips on how to overcome motherhood burnout then be sure to check out my article here.
Conclusion
I hope you found this blog on wellness tips for busy moms helpful! Now you know some of my favorite self-care and pamper secrets, what are yours? Let me know in the comments!
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