Five Minute Self Care For Mums
No matter what you do for a living whether you are a stay at home mum or the exec of a multi national we all need some time out and to concentrate on our self care. If we don’t look after ourselves we run the risk of getting severe burn out. This is when we are truly good for nothing. Here’s my Bloom Baby Classes guide to finding time to focus and find yourself again.
Juggling life as a parent can be one heck of a stress. Rushing from place to place returning to a house full of laundry and a sink full of dirty pots can make you feel even more overwhelmed than you do already. As a mum of three girls, all with big personalities I often feel like my job is never done and this often adds to my pre-existing condition of anxiety. However learning to take a little time of for myself helps me regain a little control and avoids me from burning out completely. The struggle really is real to stay on top of things but in this blog I will give you a couple of self care tips that wont break the bank and do not require you spending hours away from home.
There is lots of advice out there for “taking time out for you”, “take a weekend away with friends” when you are completely skint and too exhausted for company. For most parents these ideals of “me time” is just completely unobtainable. People would say to me “you need a break go and have a nice relaxing bath”. A bath in my house with at the time 3 under 4 year olds was just a recipe for disaster with the toddler trying to climb in, the preschooler needing a poop and the baby crying. Life became a stress and exhaustion takes it out of you. You quickly can become exhausted and start to burnout symptoms may include:
Feeling parental fatigue
Feeling constantly tired
Being too tired to parent properly
Feeling overwhelmed and not enjoying parenthood
Feeling tired, grumpy and no longer like yourself
Poor eating habits
Poor mental health
Feeling sad and anxious
Insomnia and sleep problems
Finding ways to focus on your self care enable us to regroup and recharge our batteries and also take the edge of some of this symptoms. Here are my top tips to help.
Bedtime relaxation
Take just five minutes before bedtime to really focus on your breathing and try to relax as much as possible. If you have lots on your mind write a list before you start and get all those worries and parenting reminders out of your head they can wait till tomorrow. Count your breaths in and out. Breathe in and try to fill your tummy as much as possible with air, breathe out slowly and repeat do this ten times. Just five minutes will leave you feeling relaxed and ready for rest,
Take a break outside
The great outdoors is proven to help our health. Just five minutes of some fresh air can make you feel different. Got more time? Take a walk? Enjoy the outdoors , look at the trees and focus on the nature around you (if you have any) if you don’t just declutter your mind and think about YOU!
Read
Five minutes of reading can help you switch off. Choose a magazine you enjoy and put the kettle on. Chores can wait for five minutes. Enjoy!
Just five minutes a day add up to 35 minutes a week - go on treat yourself! Have more time to spend? Try 10 minutes - that’s over 70 minutes of self care a week. Go You! Imagine how much of that book you have been longing to read you could get through!
Nutrition
It’s all to easy to skip meals or over indulge on sugary snacks when your sleep deprived and I truly believe that ANY mum should give herself a break and not focus too much on her weight or worry that she doesn’t have her pre baby body back. Lets face it who cares and does it even matter? Drinking enough water though helps your body. I feel so much better after drinking at least 1 litre of water a day. Often I will challenge myself to drinking 2 litres and have to say it does me the world of good.
Take an early night
No going to bed early does not make you boring, it actually helps your body to get you through this parenting job! Even half an hour earlier than your normal bedtime can do wonders for your mental health. This is also so important if you are still getting up and down in the night with a child. Put that programme on record and catch up on it tomorrow. Though it might be completely impossible in those first few years of becoming a parent 8 hours is what your body needs to stay on top. A daytime nap when the baby sleeps can also help fill in the gaps. Don’t feel guilty the washing can indeed wait.
So even if your busy and feel you have no time for you just five minutes each day can be implemented into your daily routine and help your well-being.
How do you practice self care as a busy mum? I would love to hear so comment below or drop me an email at victoria@bloomwellbeing.co.uk.
Writer:Victoria Jennings Founder of Bloom Baby Classes.
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