Take care of you! With these simple self-care ideas for moms.

Self-care is such an important part of healthy living. When we stop taking care of ourselves, we stop caring about other things. We don’t have the energy to care. 

But we have to remember, we are our own plant, we require food, water, light, a good atmosphere, and love. To become the best version of ourselves, and to keep growing, we have to give ourselves the things we need. This requires discipline, and boundaries, and communication. Practicing self-care doesn’t come easily to everyone. 

Oftentimes, it makes moms feel guilty, so we avoid doing it until we think everyone else is “all set”. But let’s be honest, someone will always need us. We have to carve out time for ourselves, intentionally. 

Benefits of Making Self-Care a Priority 

Making self-care a priority is an act of self-care itself. You’re worthy of your own time and attention. And you will start to feel worthy of other people’s time and attention when you treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated. 

Prioritizing yourself is a mental hurdle. It’s easy to find excuses to care for someone else and it’s easy to find reasons to neglect yourself. Doing things for ourselves can feel like a waste of time, but that kind of thinking is what creates space in your mind for you to accept negative behavior, from yourself and other people. 

When you give yourself the basic respect of personal care, you’re setting boundaries that outline what you deserve, from yourself and other people. 

Making time for self-care, especially when you’re a mom, can be difficult. Difficult, but not impossible! A few quick and simple self-care ideas for us moms, allows us to make ourselves a priority daily. 

Quick and Simple Self-Care Ideas for Moms

Here are some really quick self-care ideas for moms that you can do without a baby-sitter! Each task takes less than a couple of minutes but will help you feel healthy, rejuvenated, and cared for.

Brush your teeth after every meal.

Brushing your teeth is a small, quick task, that you can easily do on the go or at home with kids. It makes you feel refreshed and healthy, plus it is healthy!  

Drink lots of water.

Buy yourself a nice S’well or Yeti water bottle. Be intentional about drinking water. I have a Yeti and it’s the only thing I use for water! To get the amount of water I need every day I know I have to fill my water bottle 4 times. Having a specific water bottle helps you keep track of your intake. 

Eat a healthy meal.

I know, it’s a lot to ask for every meal and snack to be healthy, for me anyway. I am such a sweets person and I’m kind of lazy… so I don’t always have the motivation to make myself a healthy snack. I do, however, know that eating unhealthy all day long is a drain on my energy. It sends me into bad cycles. So I try to fit in something, even if it’s just lightly dressed greens for lunch. 

Plan your meals.

Meal prepping is not easy, it takes time and commitment. And, no matter how many “easy” meal ideas as I find, I still fail to prep every week. But when I do, it’s amazing! I eat better, I feel better, I have more energy. And bonus, I spend less money.

Make your bed.

Making your bed daily is just one small task that helps you feel like you have it all together. And there’s nothing better than getting into a made bed at night! I sleep better every time. Don’t overdo it. Just pull up the covers and straighten the pillows. 

Wear something nice.

This can be anything. A new purse, a pair of earrings, a nice lipstick. If you’re a stay at home mom like me, something nice might just be a new (or clean) pair of yoga pants. Maybe you just do your hair, even if you stay in your pajamas. But wearing one nice thing can really improve your energy for the day.  

Give yourself a hand or face massage.

A quick massage can help relieve stress. There are so many pressure point massages to help you calm anxiety, reduce negative emotions, and so much more. Check my Self-Care Ideas board for some easy self-massage techniques. I bought one of those jade rollers, amazing. I highly recommend!

Write down three things you’re thankful for.

I wish I could do this every day but it’s hard for me to do the same things daily, so I do this as often as I think of it. It does help to give me perspective. You don’t have to keep these in a journal or anywhere special. Write them on the back of an envelope. Re-read them, and then toss the envelope. Do it while standing at your kitchen counter waiting for the kids’ waffles to pop up.  

Do a quick exercise.

Maybe you’re someone who carves out time daily for exercising, that’s awesome! I envy you. For anyone else who’s like me and doesn’t have a routine, a two-minute wall-sit while you’re brushing your teeth or 25 squats every time you wash your hands is a great way to keep movement in your day. I got up to almost 200 squats the other day before noon! Sometimes those kids are crazy messy. 

Forgive yourself at the end of the day.

You probably don’t even realize how critical you are of yourself. We have all of these silent thoughts in our heads, “I should have done the dishes, I haven’t done the laundry yet, I didn’t take anything out for dinner.” And we’re usually pretty hard on ourselves about it, we sigh and we curse. But try to be understanding, and at the end of the day, forgive yourself. Acknowledge whatever held you back and then let it go. 

Self-Care Makes You a Better Mom 

Taking time for you is necessary. It’s not selfish and you do deserve it. Self-care doesn’t have to be basic. It can be extravagant too, but it can’t be nothing. When you care for yourself and show your children that you care for youself, you’re teaching them that we are our own keepers.

Be your own advocate, make yourself your own priority, and treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others. 

Children need to be taught how to act and what to prioritize, so prioritizing yourself, when it’s appropriate and healthy, makes you a better mom.  

Self-care also leads to feelings of happiness, fulfillment, and appreciation. When you’re filled with positive feelings, you’re a better source of comfort for your children. When you’re feeling drained and depleted, you can’t possibly give them your best self. With these self-care ideas for moms, you can start taking better care of you in a couple of minutes a day.