Are you always on the go? Taking care of your husband, significant other, taking care of your kids, doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning; the list goes on and on and on…
What about YOU? What are you doing for YOU?
Moms you matter too!
Self care is such an important thing. As moms, we are everything to everybody, and that sometimes means we forget about the most important person…US. You matter; your well being matters, your mental health, and your overall health and personal care matter! You must remember to take the time to take care of yourself, and to recharge and refuel yourself. Remember, self-care is NOT selfish!
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Mom life is tough
Let’s face it, if you are feeling exhausted, burnt out, and downright overwhelmed, it is time for you to develop and implement a self care routine…IMMEDIATELY. You will not be any good or help to your family if you are having these feelings. So it is best to come up with some activities and some time to squeeze in some quality “love yourself time”. I know you may be thinking, “When am I going to find the time to add some self care activities to my already crazy busy schedule?” My question to you would be, “Is your well being not as important as the well being of your family?” My hope would be that after thinking this over, you would say YES, your well being is just as important; if not more important as the well being of your family.
I know that may sound harsh, but think of it this way…If you don’t start making yourself a priority, you won’t be able to continue to properly care for your family in the way that you should and want. Your well being is that important, and you should not feel guilty or bad about needing time to take care of yourself!
These 30 self care activities are just suggestions of ways that you can include self care into a regular routine. Whether that be a daily, weekly, or monthly routine is solely up to you. The point is to have a self care routine.
Benefits of self care
There are many benefits of practicing self-care. It helps to relax you, releases stress and helps relieve you when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Even though we hate to admit it, sometimes we as moms can even feel anxious, frustrated and even angry. When you feel as if things are getting overwhelming, it may lead you to experience anxiety attacks, feel frustrated and angry. You know like I do, moms have so many different things that can add to their stress levels. Practicing self-care, even in small doses, can help alleviate some or all of these feelings.
30 easy self care activities for the busy Mom
1. Write in a journal
Write with intention, choose a topic, or just freely jot down a few thoughts or feelings.
2. Unplug from social media for at least 30 minutes
As hard as it seems, sometimes you just need a break from technology.
3. Meditate
4. Take a nap
Naps are not just for kids!
5. Start a book that you’ve been meaning to read
6. Sit outside and enjoy the sounds of nature
7. Go for a walk
8. Listen to an inspiring podcast
9. Wake up early and watch the sun rise
10. Color
There are some amazing adult coloring books out there!
11. Enjoy a cup of herbal tea
12. Diffuse some essential oils
Essential oils have so many calming benefits.
13. Read some poetry
14. Take a relaxing bath
15. Start a blog
Blogging is awesome!
16. Practice yoga
Read about how to incorporate yoga at home from my post 5 must have items for yoga at home.
17. Organize your closet
Purge items that you haven’t worn in over nine months.
18. Write down some of your goals
Creating a list of your goals is a great way to get them accomplished. Put them on a vision board to visualize them.
19. Perform a random act of kindness
20. Garden
You can start with something small like an indoor herb garden.
21. Join a Mom’s Support Group
22. Listen to music
23. Practice mindfulness
For some great mindfulness activities, check out my mindfulness post Family friendly activities & resources that promote mindfulness.
24. Research some vacation spots
25. Breathe
26. Watch your favorite show
27. Compliment yourself in the mirror
Tell yourself you are beautiful!
28. Do something creative
29. Try a new hobby
30. Do nothing
Just literally do absolutely NOTHING.
In the end
These are just some of the many activities you can do to start your own self-care routine. Many of the activities on this list are also things that I have not done myself, but that I will start to add to my arsenal of self-care activities. I think that it helps to have a variety of activities and ideas to have for your own self-care routine. A little variety keeps things fun and interesting!
Looking to take your self-care journey to the next level? The Self-Development Workbook & Journal is what you need! Packed with over 30 pages of actionable questions, activities, journal & notetaking pages, this workbook will help you incorporate a self-care routing. Develop a routine that encompasses gratitude, mindfulness, personal development, intentions & goal setting, and more!
Have any of your own favorite self-are activities that you LOVE? Please share them in the comments!
Remember, in order to take care of those you love, you must first love and take care of yourself!
Enjoy some quality self love time!
Hi Anitra,
You have some awesome tips here!
A lot I have seen my wife doing but I still will share with her and others.
Some I will be doing myself. đŸ˜‚đŸ˜‚
I always loved to color and I didn’t know there were adults coloring books out there so thanks for listing it.
I seen your link over at Janice blog party.
Great post!
Vernon
These are great suggestions!!
Great list of tips, Anitra. Thanks for putting it together. Number 30 is one we need to do more of. Unplug from everything and everyone, even for a few moments.
Love this list! I am so going to try it out!
I love your suggestions! It was really hard for me to reframe my way of thinking when it came to self-care after kids. I am learning that working out consistently helps me a lot. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m much better about telling my family I’m leaving for an hour run/walk/something than I was when my kids were babies.
Thank you, always looking for new self care ideas
I was just about to write about this also! Great minds! I was going to do something of why moms need self-care. This is such a hard thing for moms. I have had the experience of trying to take care of everyone else and leaving myself to suffer. Ultimately I ended up not being able to take care of anyone. So I now know taking care of myself is of the utmost importance.
I love numbers 1 and 30! It’s really important that as parents we also take care of ourselves. As they say, you can’t give what you don’t have. So if your feeling cranky and uncomfortable, it would be difficult to give it to your child. thanks for this reminder! đŸ™‚
Self-care is so important and I love all of your ideas. My favorite would probably be a nap or warm bath.
Doing nothing is the best one or sleep
Great list! I agree with you completely and try to do at least of few of these every day.
Sometimes, it’s just taking pleasure in the small things. The little moments that we get as mom. My kiddos are all college age now and I sometimes miss the chaos of them being little…
Rachel, mine are college age as well, and I still need these self-care tips to relax from my busy days at work and blogging!
Anitra,
Great Post! We do all need some self care and really need to pay more attention to ourselves. I started writing in a journal about 10 years ago and am surprised at how relaxing it is. I try to stick to a hard rule of no computer/TV/social media at least 1 hour before bed; I try to grab a book to read to turn my brain off for a bit. Planning on starting Yoga sometime soon (as soon as I find the time).
Every single one of these are a great reminder of all the things I need to treat self to. Only I have to remember they’re not treats but necessary self-care! Thank you for this very important list!
I love this! One thing I have been making a practice to do is to leave my phone in another room for 30 minutes or more while I’m reading. This allows me to be less distracted and no one needs to contact me every single second of the day.
All so very true…self care doesn’t stop when your kids are grown either! Everyone should practice some of these tips to be the very best “you”! Thank you for some great ideas.
I like some of your suggestions. Seemingly “silly” ones like “organize your closet” can go a long way toward making me feel good! I cleaned and decluttered my kitchen counters the other day and it made me feel awesome! It’s the small things, right?
You always have to have some ME time so you can be better for everyone else! Great tips!
Such practical and helpful advice! I love your list – these things seem so simple but they can make such a difference in a person’s feeling of well being. Thanks for sharing!
Love that you have coloring on the list!! I’m a fan!
I would choose Do Nothing, hehe. It seem like a luxury choice by doing nothing!
As a busy stay at home mom, it is so hard to find time for yourself. Sometimes I will run to the store all by myself (which is a real treat these days, ha!), but I find myself checking in every so often. I have a whole bookshelf of books I want to read too, but it is so hard to sit down and do it and not be interrupted. Definitely something I got to work on. Love these tips!
Such great tips! Self care is so important for everyone because you can’t give from an empty cup. When my son was young, I found that nap times were integral for ME as well to be able to rest my mind.
I am going to write each of these suggestions on a piece of paper and put them in a jar. On those days when I feel the stress of being a mom (basically every day), I’m going to grab a slip of paper and do what it say. Thank you!
Christa, that is an awesome idea! Glad my ideas could help!
This is such a great list! Sometimes I love to take a nap! When I was a young mom I always took a nap when my kids did. Now that I am a grandma…I do the same! đŸ™‚ Love the other ideas as well!
I really want to start meditation . But it’s just in my thoughts.
Hi Anitra! Great tips! I love taking baths because they are so relaxing. I sleep much better at night when I take a bath instead of a shower.
This is a fabulous list, some of which I’m glad to say I incorporate myself. Phew!
I like these ideas for non moms too! Thanks for sharing!!
These are wonderful tips. Im so bad at remembering to take a little time for myself. Thanks for the reminder that it can be a simole activity will make a world of difference.
These are some really great suggestions! As a mom of 3, one of whom is a newborn, I need more self care in my life. I really like the tip of talking to yourself in the mirror. That can be very powerful.
Great read! So important to look after ourselves đŸ’•
Great list.
24 is my go to when I really need a break from the stresses of life. I love planning vacations almost as much as I enjoy going on them, so it is the best kind of self-care for me. Sometimes I just work on planning a dream vacation that probably won’t happen for years.
Taking a break from social media and my phone is a great way for me to unwind. I would definitely love to get a nap though haha. Two kids on different sleep schedules don’t allow for that one.
Sometimes we forget to take time for ourselves. Thank you for reminding us of the importance of self-care.
I’m already doing some of these but I definitely will be adding some of these to my self care! Thank you for sharing this great list!
I love these. I need some self care. I will definitely try these out!
Thank you!! Yes, I matter too!! Thank you for this list you reminded me of a few other ways I can RELAX a little.
Thank you for the reminder and pointers!!
I enjoy reading posts about self care. There is usually something that I haven’t considered to do as self care and it’s good to mix it up! Thanks for sharing!
I am always on the hunt for inspiring self care ideas and these are perfect! Thanks for sharing.
[…] Read other self-care practices and activities at Practice Self Care and Self Love : 17 Exquisite But Simple Ways To Do Each Day, 25 Ridiculously Cheap Self Care Ideas for Moms, and 30 Simple & Easy Self-Care Activities For Busy Moms. […]
A great comprehensive post about self-care with amazing suggestions on how to start! Well done, Anitra!
I love these tips for self care. My list of favorite things to do for self care include essential oils, yoga, walking, workouts, reading outside in the sun, and prioritizing to get enough sleep.
All great ideas for self care
You shared some great ideas here. Moms need to take time to relax and care for themselves so that they are better able to do what they need to do for themselves and others.
Love all these ideas! My personal few would be doing a random act of kindness and do nothings:)
I feel like I’m CONSTANTLY listening to podcasts. They really help.
I love all of these ideas! My favorite self care activities are reading, writing, and taking long baths!
I love all of these. Some are so easy to sneak in during busy days.
Thanks Anitra… I’m really learning a lot from you.
These tips are wonderful.
Self care is so important, but I find is so hard to make the time. It is definitely something I need to start working on!
Naps! The best self-care ever! Sound machines make these possible in our busy household.
My favorites are taking a nap and reading a book. I’ve actually started listening to audiobooks because it’s just more convenient. One thing I won’t be doing for self-care is cleaning my closet!đŸ˜¬đŸ˜ƒ Great suggestion, but I ain’t doing that for self-caređŸ˜¬
My top 3 would be a good nap, yoga or just do nothing! This is really a great list to go through, thanks so much! I need this!
Literally just doing nothing is absolute self care for me! And a good hot bath too… Great list! Would love to try each one here.
I love these suggestions, especially the one about doing nothing. I think sometimes we get so busy with life we forget that it’s ok to just do nothing. Thanks for the reminder! đŸ™‚
I love watching my favorite shows after everyone’s gone to bed. It’s the most peaceful me-time all week!
These are all amazing ideas for self-care. Definitely love to color to relax!
Amazing tips! We all need self-care for our busy schedules and activities!
I’m not a busy mom, but I’ll definitely still be needing to save this list for later.
[…] 30 simple & easy self-care activities for busy moms […]