When you have little ones in your life, it’s easy to forget about ‘you-time’. Hobbies, pastimes and activities tend to fall by the wayside when your life revolves around the children. Even carving out twenty minutes to read a book or take a bath can seem tough. As a mother, it’s important to take care of yourself as much as the children. Your wellbeing and happiness is an important factor in their growth.
With that in mind, it’s time to take back some time for yourself. It’s time to rediscover the things you love and reconnect with old friends. When you rediscover that time, it opens you up as a parent. You become more confident, happier and healthier. You’ll instinctively pass this joy onto your children. We understand that it’s difficult and lives are hectic, but here are some tricks we’ve found effective.
Schedule one night a week for you
The first thing to do is make your downtime part of the routine. If it’s part of your weekly timetable, it’s much more likely to happen. Don’t just promise yourself ten minutes after they fall asleep. Give yourself an entire evening. Use it to do what you love. The children can spend time with Dad or the Grandparents and you can wind down. Try to get out of the house and break free of the environment, it’ll do you wonders. Plus, it’s something to break the week up and look forward to.
Take advantage of nap times
Nap times are little pockets of heaven when you’re a mother. I speak to a lot of mums who use naptime as a chance to tidy the house or do the dishes. Forget that! Steal twenty minutes to read, exercise or just close your eyes. Use that period of time as a break from the day. Restore a little energy and learn to enjoy that small time to yourself.
Find help
Sometimes, you just need certain responsibilities and tasks to disappear. If you can free your mind of some chores and responsibilities, you’ll give your brain room to think. Take advantage of the community around you. Many housing communities have a HOA management service. This is a homeowner’s community system that manages maintenance and some landscaping. It’ll take the edge off some of your responsibilities and give you support. If possible, employ a cleaner once a week to help eliminate some chores.
Spend time with other mums
Even when you have the children in tow, try to spend time with other mums. Meet at the park so the children can play while you sit and catch up. It will feel a little like ‘you-time’ as you get the chance to chat to an adult! It’s also a great support system to exchange advice and stories. When things are tough, you won’t feel quite so alone.
It’s really important to find that right balance. Burning yourself out isn’t good for you or the children. Try to free yourself of any unnecessary chores and responsibilities. Then schedule some downtime and spend time with other mums. It’s all about finding little pockets of solace during the day.