My day to day is so busy! I literally find it so hard to find time for self-care. It is almost impossible. When I think back to before I had my two babies, my self-care didn’t even feel like self-care. It was just something I did, part of my daily habits. I had that 7 step skincare routine, spent half an hour minimum to do my basic makeup, took ages to decide what to wear and try out different outfits. It is insane that now I throw on the easiest outfits, take 5 minutes to do my makeup and brushing my teeth is now considered self-care to me!
Given my busy schedule with two small children, a full-time job, and household responsibilities, I’m making an effort to incorporate ‘micro’ self-care into my routine to take better care of myself.
So here are 7 little things I try to incorporate into my life:
1. Mindset
As busy Mamas sometimes we neglect ourselves because we don’t see self-care as a priority, rather the kids, the house, work and/or our partner comes first. However! We need to change this thought in our minds put our basic needs as a priority as we can’t run ourselves into the ground, otherwise it will have a negative knock on effect for the rest of the family unit. Now for some people this is a non issue, maybe you do prioritise yourself. But I am talking about myself first and potentially some others will also relate.
2. Wake up before the little ones
Not always possible, but if your children are good sleepers then you should not spend the whole evening awake and scrolling or binge watching series on Netflix. No! You should go to bed at a reasonable time in order to wake up early. This is such a game changer. I am saying this from someone who does not have good nights majority of the time as my little girls are not great sleepers. That being said, I rarely wake up earlier than my kids. However the times that I do manage to wake up early are always my best days. When you spend a little time in the morning to get ahead, it makes the world of a difference.
3. Integrate something you love to do with your responsibilities
If you are doing the nursery rounds, cooking dinner or folding laundry, it is a great time to listen to a podcast or audiobook. If you are having a shower, it is a great time to put on a facemask and use an incredible smelling shower gel. If you are massaging your baby with a moisteriser, get some on yourself! Do you what you gotta do.
4. Daily or weekly “me” time
There are certain things that should be a non negotiable for yourself on a daily or weekly basis and they should be carved into your schedule with no room for an out. Granted this is not always possible for everyone if you have little support. But if you have support than don’t think twice. Hand the baby over to your partner and say I am going for a walk or having a bubble bath, I’ll be back in 30 minutes.
5. Prioritise your to do list
I always write out to do lists in priority order, or I give each item on my to do list a number in order of priority. This helps me to ensure as I go through the list during the day, I am checking off taks that are most important and then if I have time or energy left at the end of the day can complete the remaining least important tasks. Otherwise they roll over into the next day. Why do today what you can do tomorrow right?
6. Self-Care can also be Family Time
Getting fresh air is so important, if you can’t go out on your own then take the kids to the park or go for a walk together. I saw a tiktoker say she always tried to take her three children to the park every morning with breakfast on the go. That way the kitchen didn’t get messy from the morning and also the kids could run around with their morning energy, eat breakfast and you could sit on a bench with a coffee. I loved this idea but mornings for me are tricky. So I started doing this in the summer evenings by packing a picnic dinner and eating it at the park and getting home in time to do the bed time routine. I found it very relaxing.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
I am someone who struggles with asking for help, however in recent times when I have been overwhelmed and burnt out I have had to learn to push myself to ask for support. I have never been turned down. I realised that it wouldn’t always be the case for everyone but if you have a supportive partner and family then you should always ask for help without feeling any kind of guilt. You can probably do it yourself, but why should you?
Conclusion
Finding time for self care with busy schedules can definitely be tricky but it’s the little things that make a bit difference. Small and consistent is better than nothing at all. I should probably take my own advice!