Self Care Ideas for Busy Business Mums
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I don’t know about you but the terms “busy business mum” and “self care” do not seem to go together for many of us… but why not? I mean… seriously? Is it because as mums, our work is simply never done? Is it because as mums we constantly put ourselves to the back of the queue? Or is it because every time we do something for our own mental health and well being ….mum guilt eats away at us and we can’t help but feel guilty.
Whatever it is…. it needs to stop and you need to start taking time for you!!!
Believe me… I know this because you are me… you are how I used to be before I worked out that I simply couldn’t afford not to take time for self care anymore. I learnt that I had to make time for self care because I burnt out, I entered the realms of exhaustion and I made myself very ill.
You see, the thing that most of us forget when thinking about ideas for self care, is that it doesn’t need to take up hours, self care can literally fit in to your life no matter how much time you have. Today I have a super busy day so I chose to have a bit of self care as I write this blog – in fact my feet are actually submerged in a foot spa and I have my favourite film on in the background… OK, this is multi tasking but today I will only have ten minutes for self care tonight because I have a meeting online with some clients.
As parents, we are often taking care of everyone else… that we forget to check in with ourselves. Having a simple self care routine sounds easy doesn’t it but when you think about it… like really think about it… when did you make time for self care? Seriously think about it.… when were you last kind to yourself? When did you last check in and take care of yourself? I was you… I still am sometimes but I now make sure that creating time for self care is not a choice anymore… it is now a part of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I am not great at taking the time especially on a busy day but I am learning… I am still sat here with a whole list of things that need attention but the bottom line is just a little time each day for selfcare is a great way to relieve stress and prevent burnout. Having something for yourself… something on your never ending to do list that is for you… not for your children …. not for a family member but completely and whole heartedly for you….. it is absolutely essential and today you are going to make that change.
Not just for you but for your children… you will be a better mom for it!!! You will see.
What did Self Care Look Like Before Kids?
Rewind 10 years, before kids…. what did self care look like for you? For me personally, I was cushioned in a self care bubble and life was so much easier, sure… at the time I didn’t think so…. I was often wishing away my years thinking about buying my first house, worrying about why I wasn’t engaged yet and worrying about if I ever would find a suitable man to have a family with… I only wish I could look back at myself and say ENJOY EVERY MINUTE, STOP WORRYING and STOP WISHING AWAY TIME.
Here I am 30 something years old (I have lost count if I am completely honest) and I am sat here, fingers beating down on a keyboard as my thoughts pour in to the blog. I am working to a deadline and trying to get 42 hours of productivity out of a 12 hour day does this sound like you? If so… read on.
Time and time and time again, I am asked “What do you do for self care as a busy mum?” the first time I heard this question my automatic response was “What is self care?” and I meant it… I honestly let completely let my well being go to sh*t!!
No Self Care Routine = Burnout
Every so often since becoming a mum, it would happen…. I would reach burnout and make myself ill, too many times I have reached exhaustion and had to take time out from my job which of course isn’t ideal when you are running your own business. Since becoming a mum… you would often find me with my hair scraped up on the top of my head, in clothes I probably wore yesterday praying that my dry shampoo will see me through another day…. I would never ask for help and the word “take care” were only used as I waved to clients as they left my office.
Yes, although I was a busy mum with a baby with a full time job including the usual jobs we have when it comes to looking after our family and children. I decided to start actually tallying up how often I reached burnout and how much time I would need to take off work to get myself back in the game and I quickly realised that by simply allowing myself to have a minimum of 10 minutes a day in self care would mean that burnouts would happen less often… if at all which would actually save me time and money.
I have researched in our MyBump2Baby support group different ideas for the perfect self care routine that allows you to take time out for simple self care ideas for busy moms.
Yoga Class for mums
Yoga classes are a great way to help combat stress and a great healthy habit to get in to. Finding something for you that you can do from the comfort of your own living room that gets the blood pumping whilst looking after your body is a great place to start when it comes to self care for parents. Exercise in general is a great way to find time for you but it is important to remember that self care time needs to be something you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy exercise you should still do it but perhaps not make it a kay part of your self care routine.
Gratitude Journal
Keeping a gratitude journal is a great idea for self care, the idea of a gratitude journal is to make sure you keep all the things you are thankful for at the forefront of your mind. I love blogging and writing and keeping a journal is a great way for me to take time and a great way to be thankful for everything that is going right instead of focusing on things that are perhaps not going so well. As a mom it is easy to focus on all the things you haven’t done but using a journal is a great way to look at things in a positive way instead.
Catch up with Friends or Family members
Yes you are a mum, it might not be easy for you to get out to your friends or parents in the evening or even in the day but in a world where online is booming and the recent global pandemic you should be now familiar with technology and setting aside time to catch up with friends over Zoom or Facetime gives you something to look forward to. During lockdown my friend and I actually ordered a take away and got a bottle of wine each and caught up on a Saturday night… it was great and I actually got the whole bottle of wine to myself so I preferred catching up with her online instead.
Bedtime Routine
Are you used to staring at your phone until you shut your eyes? I was too… It would take me so long to get to sleep that I would often be on Google searching for ways to get a better nights sleep and I would often read that having sometime off your phone and electricals before made makes for a relaxing evening. Maybe you could start being strict with yourself and saying after 9pm you don’t look at your phone. It sounds so hard at first and if you run your own business too you may find it impossible but making a small window before bed for a routine will do you the world of good.
Get up Earlier
Before you shout…. my son is extremely lazy (sorry again) If it was down to my son he wouldn’t get out of bed till midday so I have started setting my alarm an hour earlier at 6am just to have an hour to myself to have a coffee alone in the morning. I sometimes choose to exercise in this time, sometimes I choose to shower and listen to an audio book or podcast and sometimes I put on my favourite programme.
Bubble Bath
Your will often find bubble baths on the top of the list for any self care ideas or self care tips but I had to mention it as this is actually one of my favourites to de-stress and calm down. I put it my tropic bubble bath or bath salts and I watch a girly movie on my ipad topping up the bath with hot water when needed. Giving my body a good muscle soak is such a good wind down for me.
Go for a walk
Go for a walk sounds simple but when was the last time you actually left the house on your own and went for a walk? Even for 5 minutes around the block? This is a great way to get your blood pumping and feel good and positive. I do listen to music as I walk but sometimes it is nice to just walk and use all your senses to be in the moment.
at gets the blood pumping whilst looking after your body is a great place to start when it comes to self care for parents. Exercise in general is a great way to find time for you but it is important to remember that self care time needs to be something you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy exercise you should still do it but perhaps not make it a kay part of your self care routine.
Catch up with Friends or Family members
Yes you are a mum, it might not be easy for you to get out to your friends or parents in the evening or even in the day but in a world where online is booming and the recent global pandemic you should be now familiar with technology and setting aside time to catch up with friends over Zoom or Facetime gives you something to look forward to. During lockdown my friend and I actually ordered a take away and got a bottle of wine each and caught up on a Saturday night… it was great and I actually got the whole bottle of wine to myself so I preferred catching up with her online instead.
Carla is the founder of MyBump2Baby. Carla has a huge passion for linking together small businesses and growing families. Carla’s humorous, non-filtered honesty has won the hearts of thousands of parents throughout the UK.
She has previously written for the Metro and made appearances on BBC News, BBC 5 live, LBC etc. Carla is a finalist for Blogger of the Year award with Simply Ladies inc. Carla is also the host of the popular Fifty Shades of Motherhood podcast and The MyBump2Baby Expert podcast.