Did you know that one in eight women suffer depression after giving birth? In fact, the statistic could be higher as not all women report the symptoms. As much as motherhood is a beautiful journey, it can be overwhelming, especially when one has to balance career and other life activities.
Make Time for Mommy: Physical and Mental Self Care Ideas for Moms
Mothers must practice self-care to maintain their health and sanity. Self-care ideas for moms focus on their physical, mental, and psychosocial aspects of their life. If you’re a busy mom trying to balance everything and feeling overwhelmed while at it, this guide will be resourceful.
Here are some of the top practical self-care ideas for moms.
Spare Some Few Minutes to Exercise
A workout routine for busy moms can be a source of stress. It’s easier to incorporate a few minutes of exercise within your usual activities. For instance, you can consider cycling or swimming when taking your kids to the park.
Activities that motivate you to have a consistent workout plan are also great. An outdoor yoga class or a dance class can make you look forward to exercising. You might want to get a personal trainer for accountability and guidance.
Working out a few minutes a day and consistently is one of the fitness tips for busy moms with incredible benefits. If you don’t have time to go to the gym for 45 minutes, don’t fret. Sneaking in 15 minutes of exercise will be a great way to have a healthy mind and body.
Get Adequate Sleep
A recent survey found out that one in four women in their 40s and 50s were not getting the recommended hours of sleep. For this age group, menopause and other hormonal changes are probably the culprits. For younger moms, balancing their careers, businesses, and parenting duties is the leading cause of fewer sleep hours.
Sleep deprivation is almost a culture for new moms! Yet, lack of sleep can have adverse impacts on your overall health. Get help with the babies if need be; your sleep is essential, and you shouldn’t compromise it.
Adequate sleep is among the self-care ideas for moms that always seem impossible for busy moms working late. You need to consider ways you can prioritize sleep to reap its benefits. With enough sleep, you’ll counter stress, boost memory, strengthen your immune system and improve cardiovascular health.
Eat Healthy Meals
The foods you consume have significant impacts on your physical and emotional well-being. Healthy food will fuel your body and make you feel more energetic to run the day’s activities. What’s on your plate?
A plateful of vegetables, enough proteins, fruits, and complex carbs should be your thing. Go slow on junk and excess carbs. You’ll feel better about yourself, and it will be easier to achieve optimal health.
Among the tips for busy moms that can help in healthy eating is early meal planning. You can have a weekly plan to make it more achievable. The meals should be easy to prepare for those times that you are running late.
Schedule a Health Checkup
When is your kid’s next health checkup? You probably have it on a calendar and reminders as you wouldn’t want to miss your young one’s annual checkup for anything!
You should also love yourself enough for you to consider regular checkups. Many women tend to ignore the signs and symptoms of underlying problems in the body. For your self-care, incorporate regular tests, annual checkups, pap smears, vision screening, and mammograms.
Visiting a dental clinic for exams and cleaning should also be on your to-do-list. If you have severe tooth decay, go for a root canal. You can read more about root canal recovery and what’s involved during the process to guide when preparing for the treatment.
Get a New Hobby or Passion
As a mom, you need to do something beyond working and babysitting. It’s easy to be sidetracked, trying to be the best career woman and mom of the year. One of the self-care ideas for moms that you’d want to try is rediscovering your identity through hobbies and passions that you once enjoyed.
If the hobbies that ignited your soul don’t excite you anymore, look for new hobbies. You can try several new things to see what you enjoy. It can be swimming, cycling, trying new recipes, traveling, or even meeting new friends.
If you need to take classes, go for it! You’ll know how to practice these activities as you strive to become a better version of yourself. New passions and hobbies will give you more zeal for life.
Boost Your Brain
The state of your brain determines your physical and emotional well-being. Taking care of your brain is one activity that can help you feel more fulfilled and energetic. The number of activities you can engage in to give your brain a boost are inexhaustible.
One of the things you can incorporate in your life is journaling. Writing a journal allows you to connect with yourself. It makes it easier for you to understand activities that build you and those you might need to drop.
Meditation is another excellent way of boosting your brain. Get a few minutes every day to meditate and relax your mind. You can research several meditation exercises to improve your mental health.
Reading books will not only increase your knowledge, but it is also a great way to keep your mind engaged. Given your busy schedule, you can read a chapter a day. Avoid setting unrealistic goals in book reading as it can lead to unnecessary frustrations.
Mothers Should Embrace Self-Care Ideas for Moms for Overall Well-being
Self-care for busy moms is crucial. Without the right self-care practices, mothers will continue suffering from stress and depression. It is essential to have self-care ideas for moms to engage in a few minutes every day.
The list of activities is inexhaustive. As a mom, start with the activity that you love and would engage in with minimal effort. Taking care of yourself should be something you prioritize regardless of the responsibilities you’re shouldering.
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