Self-Care Tips for a Busy Working Mom
The idea of “self-care” took me a while to embrace. It just seemed so…selfish! My calling as a teacher, mom, wife, and photographer is to deny myself and take care of everyone else; taking care of me goes against every one of my natural inclinations. When I became a mom, self-care pretty much consisted of making time to shower each day. When people asked me what I was doing for me, that was it. And that’s all I thought I needed. I’m a classic Enneagram 2w3…a “helper.” But the more I have tried to juggle, the more my stress started spiraling out of control. It took the pandemic to force me to realize that in order to do a good job taking care of the people around me, I had to take care of myself. Just like on an airplane, you are trained you that when that little oxygen mask pops out of the ceiling, you are supposed to fit it onto yourself before you help those around you so that you are ABLE to help those around you. Self-care does not have to mean focusing on yourself all the time, but it does mean taking care of yourself so that you can be of sound mind and body and be your best at taking care of those around you!
My Favorite Self-Care Tips:
I make an effort to keep in touch with my girlfriends. I live in a house of boys, and sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by all the testosterone. I have a group of ladies on a text chain that I keep in touch with several times a day and a few friends that I talk to using the FREE Marco Polo app, and I know that any one of them are just a text or video recording away if I need them! We vent, we laugh, we encourage each other, we talk about raising kids and being wives, we share God’s word, and I don’t know how I would survive without them. And when we get together in person, we just carry on with the conversations that we’ve been having through cyberspace. It’s WONDERFUL.
I read. Scripture, Bible studies, books about raising kids and being a good wife, murder mysteries, ghost stories, books my students are reading, and whatever other books my Book Club Gals recommend. Reading takes me out of my own mind for a bit and into someone else’s, and it’s nice to hear some other voices in my head besides my own!
I shower, every day, before bed. It is my way of washing off the yuck of the day and relaxing so that I can get a good night’s sleep.
I sleep. Sleep is a priority. I know that when I don’t get enough sleep, I am cranky, emotional, and terrible at decision-making.
I exercise as regularly as I can. During the quarantine last Spring, I joined BeachBody, and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made! Exercising has given me a way to relieve stress, feel stronger, and stay healthy. I can pick routines and programs based on my availability and do them whenever I have time! I started with Autumn Calabrese’s 21-Day Fix, and since then, I have done 21-Day Fix Extreme, Shaun T’s Transform20, Megan Davies’s MBF and MBFA, a variety of other workouts in between programs, and I just started Autumn’s 9-Week Control Freak! I also have a few friends who use BeachBody, so we recommend programs to and help motivate one another! It’s like being in a workout class at the Y, but from the comfort of your own home and on YOUR time! I haven’t lost a ton of weight, but I have lost inches and feel so much stronger.
I get my hair cut regularly. I don’t wait until it’s out of control to make an appointment—I schedule my next appointment when I am at my regular visits. I LOVE having my hair washed and played with by someone else, so this 45 minutes every 8-10 weeks is something I genuinely look forward to.
I saw an Instagram ad for Prose a few months ago and decided to try it—I have used the same hair products for 15-20 years and thought it was time for a change. I have naturally curly hair that I have always tried to control, but now that it’s becoming hip to embrace your natural curls, I am all in! Prose customizes your hair care products based on your environmental and personal needs. I have really enjoyed letting my hair do its thing with the support of Prose hair products!
I treat myself to a pedicure every now and then…maybe two or three times a year! Sitting in a massage chair while someone else takes care of my overgrown toenails and massages my legs is WELL worth the $40.
A few years ago, I started using StitchFix. I absolutely hate shopping for clothes, and I am terrible at trying out new styles—I gravitate more toward comfort and end up wearing the same things year after year. The stylists at StitchFix have learned my sizes to a tee, understand my lifestyle, and every 4 months or so, I get a box of clothing items that are usually perfect for me! I don’t always purchase all five items, but I love the flexibility to pick what I like and send the other items back. And several times, I have gotten free clothes for referring other customers or testing out a new idea! I have really enjoyed this process for clothes shopping, and I love surprises.
Speaking of surprises, just a couple of months ago I tried out Birchbox. I have used the same skin care and make-up for probably 20 years, and I just wanted to try out something new! Going into Ulta is WAY too overwhelming for me—there are so many products to choose from and I have no idea where to begin. For $12/month Birchbox sends you a cute little box of 5 sample-sized products to try, based on a personalized profile, and I have loved playing around with my new skin creams, hair products, and make-up! I’ve even found a couple of things I am ordering full sizes of because I liked them so much.
These little things help make me feel as connected, strong, relaxed, and beautiful as a busy, working mom can be, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for something to do for a little self-care!
Don’t forget to get IN some photos, as well. We moms are often behind the camera and never in front of one. But your kids need to remember you in all your life phases, just like you want to remember them! Recently I bought a new dress from Cupshe (they don’t just sell bathing suits, ladies!), put on some makeup (thanks Birchbox!), and had my friend Siobhan of Siobhan Lorraine Photography take some portraits of me at one of my favorite places to take portraits. I felt like a girl again, and it was such a fun and needed experience!