Top 5 Self-Care Strategies in a Season of Selflessness

Top 5 Self-Care Strategies in a Season of Selflessness

Enter the season of Selflessness. Where Motherhood takes over, and we juggle households, jobs, and children all while our own self-care generally takes a back seat. We are exhausted, stretched to the limit and in some cases the only adult interaction we encountered for the day was when our husbands returned home from work or we frantically thanked the cashier at the grocery store and rushed out with anxious little ones in tow. 

After becoming a Stay at Home Mom to my twins and toddler, the lifestyle of being in the home for round the clock childcare and home-making quickly began to take a toll on me mentally. It's amazing how much I took for granted before, even the scheduled, routine things like getting ready for work, and putting on fresh make-up and clothes. Driving to work, home, or day-care pick up, alone with my thoughts and not being needed. While I most definitely don't count those things as self-care, they were small things that kept me feeling ready to greet my littles and take on motherhood. I knew there had to be a better way for this new chapter of my Motherhood Journey. 

So here are my top 5 Self-Care Strategies in this new season.

  1.  Hire a Nanny: I'm talking for just a few hours every week. Whatever you can squeeze into the budget. Having someone come for just a few hours each week to take care of the diapers, the food mess, playtime and minor chores was a huge life saver for me. I was able to tackle other chores without a feeling of overwhelm, attend doctor, and dentist appointments we often neglect as mothers. Or simply sit in a coffee shop for a few hours with a hot drink and a treat with soothing music and blog, or read. Just this small thing brought me peace of mind and the recharge I needed for the week.

  2. Create a Self-Care Routine and Hold yourself to it. Maybe its once a week, twice a month whatever you can squeeze in, choose a day and stick to it. Sunday nights after the kids go to bed, no matter what, are hair masque, face masque, shower nights for me. I use my favorite Refuge Hair Masque Treatment System (soon available world wide), my current favorite facial Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Microderm Peeling Gel and enjoy my shower without rushing. This sets me up to feel refreshed and clean for Monday, when my husband heads back to work and it's just me and the boys!

  3. Try to Set Aside some Nap Times for Yourself. After the kids go down for their nap, I always found myself frantically trying to tackle my entire to do list. Quickly realizing that, that to do list was never ending, and I was getting burnt out and grumpy for the second half of the day. Try to prioritize your chores. Choose one thing to complete, and take the rest of the time to do something for yourself. OR choose a couple days that will be chore nap times and a couple that will be "me time" nap times. Maybe your one chore includes tidying up your master bedroom so you can relax without clutter or toy messes clouding your mind. Then Read, Netflix, Shower, Nap, Workout, whatever serves your soul! The chores will always be there, your health wont be if you are running on empty.

  4. Work-Out. However you can get it in, do it! Up until now for me this has consisted of 15-30 minute work outs, and yoga a few times a week. I try to prioritize before my littles are awake, after they go to bed, during nap time, or even after my husband gets home. It's amazing how good you feel even when just a small amount of time is dedicated to you, and when you start to see results it's even better! My favorite workout app to use is the Nike Training App, it has hundreds of free guided workouts. You can even set up a program so you stick to it and know what days you should prioritize a small workout, all on your time! We recently joined a new fitness center with childcare so I'm anxious to see how that works out! I have heard other Mommas rave about how valuable that was to them.

  5. Subscription Boxes? Ok, this one is kind of silly BUT let me explain! Sometimes as moms we can become home-bodies, we don't always feel deserving of new things because we always think its "a waste of money, when will we wear that, when will we use that?" You know the thoughts I am talking about. I decided to guilt free get the $10 a month Sephora Play Box regularly and every time it comes, it reminds me that me time is special. I can enjoy what's inside on my next self-care night, date night, or even just look forward to putting on a new mascara when that is all I had time for that morning. There is also a similar alternative out there called the Ipsy Glam Bag available outside the U.S and a close Momma friend and I always swap details on her Glam Bag vs my Play Box! Its just as rewarding! I also enjoy seasonally getting a Stitch Fix box which I can customize for mom life. I can try things on in the comfort of my home and feel like I have a few new, fresh, in-style pieces to wear out and about no matter what the occasion. Do some research there are a ton of fun subscription boxes out there for every interest! 

So Mommas I hope this helps spark your journey to Self-Care and a little Self-Love that you have been missing. You are so deserving, and so worthy don't you forget it! 

Raihna K Follow

I am a toddler mom, married to my high school sweetheart. A stylist, salon business coach and manager turned stay at home mom after the birth of my identical twin boys who joined our family 2 weeks after my first born turned 2! I fell in love with coaching women to reach their full potential in business and beauty. After entering into motherhood I fell in love with the true capacity for which women have as mothers, and leaders in their new titles as "moms". I want every mother to feel their worth, through the grit, the joy and everything in between.

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