There is a fine line between selfishness and ensuring you are putting your best self forward to tackle the in’s and outs of your life. The heart behind it is what defines the process.
Are we doing this for our own selfish gain, or are we doing this so we can then turn around and put our best selves forward in all that we do?
A mom’s life is busy, sometimes chaotic. It can feel nearly impossible to find time for you to reset and recharge. Taking care of your family, getting all the chores done, running everyone to practice or parties, and helping with homework seems to take all your time.
I mean seriously – when do you even have time to think about recharging and refreshing yourself? It is hard but necessary.
When you take care of yourself, when you take time to recharge and refresh – you will have the energy, mental clarity, and patience you need for your family and all those other day-to-day things you do.
It’s important to take at least a few minutes every day to allow yourself to recharge and refresh. It will reduce your stress and make you less tired and irritable.
These suggestions for recharging and refreshing will help you find the personal recharge time you need. You may not be able to do them all, but they will help you recognize the need for self-care in your life and they may give you some other ideas.
Get out of the house
- Just go. Go anywhere. Walk around Barnes and Noble, go to a Starbucks, go for a walk around your block.
- If you’re up to it, call up a girlfriend and spend some time together. Take a class with her or go to a museum exhibit (they aren’t expensive and are sometimes even free).
Just get out of the house and do something you enjoy, kid free. Enjoy some quality time away from your family to help you reset. You will feel more refreshed and replenished.
- Put someone else in charge of dinner for a night
- One night a week, make it your spouse or kids (if they’re old enough) responsibility to make dinner. They can make something, pick something up, or take you out. It doesn’t really matter as long as you don’t have to shop, cook or clean up.
Schedule a spa day
Getting spoiled is always fun! Schedule a massage, facial, or hair appointment for yourself. Let someone take care of you for a change.
When your body feels relaxed, your mind will too.
If you can’t afford a spa day, create your own at home. Lock the bathroom door and tell everyone to leave you alone.
Run a nice, hot bubble bath, grab a good book to enjoy in the tub, pour yourself a glass of wine or cup of tea, and light some candles.
Join a group
Find a group of like-minded people that you enjoy spending time with and do something just for you. Try a wine-tasting group, book club, garden club, or dinner club. Make some new friends and enjoy a little quality time away from your family. Can’t find a group you like? Start your own! With Facebook groups and city groups – it’s easier to find like-minded people!
Get plenty of rest
Sleep is your body’s way of replenishing and recuperating. When you don’t get enough, you will be more susceptible to the colds and illness and you will jeopardize your overall health and energy levels.
Be intentional about your sleep and get to bed at a reasonable time. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night. If you’re not well rested, you will find it harder to get anything done the next day.
Drink more water
Did you know that most of us are dehydrated? When we are not fully hydrated our bodies can’t function well. That means our brain isn’t functioning at it’s best, our body isn’t circulating as it should, we aren’t flushing toxins as we should.
I aim to drink half my weight in ounces, daily. You may have to build up to this but if you start first thing in the morning – by the end of the day yous should have met your goal!
When you take the time to refresh and reset yourself, you will have more energy and patience to give to your loved ones.
What other ways can you think of to refresh and reset yourself?