Since becoming a mother, I find myself saying, “There aren’t enough hours in the day,” almost every day. I tell myself I’ll wake up an hour before the house, which, when you have a toddler who still wakes in the middle of the night is easier said than done. So, that never happens. I’m a night owl by nature, so getting productive or having that “me” time is something that often happens between the hours of 8-11PM. Also not ideal when you really should get to bed at a decent time, and want to have downtime with hubby. It’s still a work in progress, and probably always will be, but I’ve found that sprinkling in simple self care tasks throughout the day not only helps me actually get it accomplished without the overwhelm, but also helps me feel better and more balanced as my busy day goes on.
I love seeing other moms share their routines via blogs or social media. It gives me ideas when it comes to productivity, meals, efficiency hacks, home organization, even parenting. So, I thought I’d share how I break down my daily self care routine with a toddler that’s attached to my hip and super energized twin boys!
When it comes to my self care and overall health, you’ll find that a lot of what I share is with a more holistic approach. I find it much more fulfilling to spend 20 minutes in the sauna or doing pilates as opposed to drinking a glass of wine or binge watching a tv show. Nothing wrong with that if it’s your jam! It used to be mine until I shifted lifestyles and found something that worked better for me. If you’re struggling to find the time to take care of YOU, this approach may help you as much as it’s helped me.
MORNING ROUTINE
There are a couple self care oriented things I do first thing in the morning. I use my tongue scraper, which is great for fresher breath and overall health. I apply my hair growth serum – along with using my scalp massager (feels AMAZING and is great for encouraging hair growth!) for a few minutes, and then I’ll use my facial ice roller. I LOVE my ice roller. It reduces inflammation, gets rid of that puffy look we can get, and wakes me up more than a cup of coffee would!
Once I started being more proactive with my self care routine I made it a point to include it in my daily to do list. Every night, I write out the to do’s in my phone’s notepad for the following day. That day, I’ll emoji check off the tasks as I get them done. It’s very satisfying and helps me stay on top of everything. Here’s a sample idea of what I’ll write out in case you think this could work for you too:
Tuesday Morning
- 6:30 wake up, tongue scrape/brush teeth, ice roller, start breakfast
- pack lunches
- dishes
- apply hair serum/scalp massager
- tidy up
- drop kids off at school
- barre & pilates workout
MID MORNING – AFTERNOON
I make it a point to workout every day. It helps with stress and anxiety, keeps me clear headed, and just makes me feel good overall. Back in my pre-baby days, I was alll about weight lifting. Now it’s much more low impact. Following the birth of our third son, I shifted my workouts to be more postpartum and pelvic floor friendly, and have stuck with it ever since. It’s been a total game changer. Barre, pilates, daily stretching, and walks on the treadmill sum up my everyday exercises.
Afternoons are also when I make time for creativity. Ever since the pandemic, I’ve gotten into all things DIY and crafts. Jewelry making, polymer clay creations, and crocheting have become my creative outlet and it is honestly so much fun! I highly encourage finding a craft or something you can make with your hands. It’s not only fun but very rewarding.
It can be tough to find the pockets of time to fit things like this in – I’ve found nap time, when the kids are at school, or when the kids are having their downtime to be the best opportunities to get a little crafty. You can even include your kids in on this if you want. I’m all for either being outside or physically doing things versus zombie screen time mode.
PM ROUTINE
Once the kids get to bed, I have two options. Lounge on the couch and binge a tv show, or get productive. It comes in waves, especially when my husband and I have found a tv show that has us hooked! Even in that case, I try to always be doing something that I’ve either been meaning to do, or that I know will be beneficial in the long run. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having those do nothing nights, that truly can be self care in itself sometimes. It can however be easy to fall into doing it too much. Even on the nights where I want to catch up on a show, I can do a little stretching, continue with crocheting projects, sit in our portable sauna, use my gausha skin care stone. There’s a lot we can knock out even if we are just sitting on the couch. Below are a few of the nightly self care things I do, along with a few that I’ll make a point to do 1-3 times a week.
EVERY NIGHT:
~ at least 10 minutes of stretching
~ skin care regimen (consists of moisturizing, retinol, hyaluronic acid, and using the guasha stone)
~ at least 10 minutes of reading my Bible
~ hair care routine (scalp massaging, using hair oil at the ends of my hair to prevent breakage)
1-3 NIGHTS A WEEK:
~ at least 20 minutes in the sauna
~ dry brushing
~ red light therapy
~ castor oil packs
It’s not easy to find time for ourselves as mothers. For me at least, it can feel like a constant battle ranging from “I should be completely selfless and ignore my needs” to “I need to do something for me but I feel so guilty.” Bottom line and my personal opinion, we can’t be at our best for our family if we aren’t taking care of ourselves too. I think it’s natural and inevitable to feel that sense of mom guilt, but we gotta get past it and realize that taking care of us is also what’s best for our kids.
I hope these ideas were helpful and sound like something you may want to give a try! Remember every day is different, routines change, we’re not always going to get the things done, but if we can at least take advantage of those little pockets of time to do something positive for ourselves it will be so beneficial in the long run!
What would you like to see next on here? Homesteading, gardening, DIY crafts, fitness, specific mom life things? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
Talk soon.
Kath
