If you read my previous post Mama, Are You Taking Care of Yourself? I think you got the point that its important to take care of yourself as a Mama in order to be able to take care of your children and family. If you haven’t read my other post, you might want to check it out before reading this post. Now the question is how can I take care of myself as a Mama, while taking care of my children as well?? Well, the answer isn’t always very simple, but it doesn’t have to be complicated as well. And the answer isn’t a one size fits all either, because we are all individuals and what taking care of yourself means to one mama might not mean the same to another mama. Therefore, I can’t answer the question by giving you a step by step guide or tutorial or anything of that sort, but I can tell you in general terms and I can give you suggestions based off of what I like to do to take care of myself and what others do that I know and you can either agree or want to try some of these suggestions or you can use them as inspiration and think of other ways.
First, we might want to get into what it means to take care of yourself as a Mama. I’m not specifying what kind of Mama (Stay-at-home Mama, Homeschooling Mama, Working outside/inside of the home Mama, Single Mama, etc.) because no matter what kind of Mama you are, you need to take care of yourself!! When I talk about taking care of yourself, I’m talking about mentally, spiritually, and physically.
As far as actual things you can do to take care of yourself these include (but are not limited to):
♥ Spending time alone – Whether you have a husband, family member, or a friend to take care of your kid(s) while you spend some time alone or even when your kid(s) are sleeping (whether its morning or night) spending time alone is important and necessary. If you’re lacking peace and quiet (which I believe we all are) then spend some alone time doing something that isn’t noisy (Praying, reading a book, writing, thinking, etc.). Yes there still will be enough time to watch a movie or catch up on a show (even if its not that day/night).
♥ Think Positively – This is important and its an area that a lot of us might have to train ourselves in. If you’re used to having negative thoughts or seeing your daily duties in a negative light (you know the ones that say you’re not good enough, its your fault, you can’t do anything right, you’re not cut out for being a Mama, etc.), then you need to think positively by being grateful for what good has happened that day or in your life in general. Also, think about the joys you have now and goals that you have for either yourself or your family. Think about what makes you SMILE, more JOYFUL, and HAPPIER!!
♥ Pray – Yes I know I mentioned it above in spending time alone, but it does not necessarily have to be when you have alone time. You can Pray throughout the day with your kids and at times by yourself. Remember informal prayers (talking to God or asking for help – I ask God for help throughout the day ALL THE TIME) count too!!
♥ Read the Holy Bible – I don’t know about everyone but I know I personally struggle in this area, because I’m not used to turning to the Holy Bible often. For those of us who aren’t used to reading the Bible often enough, we need to make it a habit!! Start off small by reading at least once a week or a couple of times a week, and then gradually continue until you hit your goal. Remember our words come and go, but the Word of God stays!!
♥ Eat Healthy – There are so many versions of what eating healthy means (aka so many diets and people telling you what is and isn’t healthy), but in general are you eating a lot of vegetables, some fruits, cooking your own food – if not, you are going to want to work on this area. Its important to not only feed our kids the food they need to be healthy, but also ourselves, since it helps us in our other areas of life (like mood, energy, etc.)
♥ Exercise – Now this doesn’t mean you have to hit up a gym (unless you want to), but it does mean you have to get your body moving (and it does count if you’re constantly moving while doing housework all day, but chances are you might have to do something extra). Some exercises include walking, jump roping, running, playing physical sports with kids, trying a fitness routine (can be at home, using maybe fitness DVDs), etc. Remember just get your body moving (this is especially important if you do have to sit at a computer for the most part of your day)!!
♥ Drink Enough Water – This is an area that I struggle most with. If I’m running around taking care of the kids, cleaning around the home, doing other daily tasks where I’m focused I tend to forget to drink water and then of course I realize it when my mouth is all dry, that I need to drink water. Even if you aren’t quite as bad as me, chances are you are not drinking enough water. The goal is to drink half your body weight in onces of water daily (ex. if you weigh 130 lbs. then you should be drinking half in ozs. which is 65 ozs. aka about 8 cups). Another way to know if you’re getting enough water is through your urine if its dark and stinky you need to drink more water, if its light or clear then you’re drinking enough.
♥ Take Care of Your Skin – This is an area that I had neglected for a while, but I’m not any longer. This is a terrible area to neglect ever, but especially if you struggle with acne or other skin conditions. Make sure you have a proper skincare routine that you stick with daily or start one if you don’t have one yet. If you need help email me (kk@trulylovelearning.com) and I can help you figure our what is right for you.
♥ Get Enough Sleep – This is very important if you want to have a better mood and enough energy to tackle on everything that you need to throughout the day. How much sleep you need depends on your body and the quality of sleep is very important as well.
♥ Put on Clothes You Like – Trust me this makes a huge difference in how you feel about yourself. If you like to dress down all the time and it makes you feel good, then that’s fine, but if what you’re wearing isn’t making you feel good, then Change it!! I know I used to like putting together outfits, but somewhere along the Mama journey I had stopped and it didn’t make me feel any better, but I started taking the time to put together outfits again that make me feel better and it does make a huge difference!! Remember it has to be what YOU like and makes YOU feel better!!
♥ Do Something You Enjoy – Now this one is very individualized, do something that makes you smile and happy while you’re doing it and after because the effects will still be there. Whether its a hobby that you have/had, drawing/creating art, listening or creating to music, writing, reading, watching a movie or Tv, etc. Do what makes you feel better!!
As you can see above some things you do need to do alone, but not all, some you can do when the kids are occupied and I highly recommend a mixture of both. Have the alone time whenever possible (might not be daily), but definitely do take care of yourself (mind and body) on a daily basis. Remember just because you’re taking care of your child(ren) doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself too!!
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