Making time for self care is one of those things that’s “on trend” right now but for many of us, it’s a fleeting thought. Last night I had the conversation with a friend and fellow mom about what self care is being touting about on social media. You see people talking about “Just left a 83739 day cruise!!! #SelfCare” or “I just took a 485 mile hike and feel amazing!!! #SelfCare”. Yes, these numbers are inflated but you get what I mean.
Making Time For Self Care When It Seems Like There Is No Time
When you’re a mom of littles, this is NOT what self care looks like for us most of the time. Just like if you’re a single mom, self care looks a little different. But what does that look like? What does self care mean for YOU?
This was a question I asked myself before giving it some serious thought. Do I want to travel alone? Sure. Would I like to go overseas and around the world? Absolutely. Do I want to do one of those fancy retreats where you leave feeling mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally fulfilled? Hell yes. But here’s the thing–my reality of being a homeschooling mom with both a preschooler and a baby makes these things that sound amazing, not necessarily plausible for me.
So then HOW do you make time for self care when you have people that are dependent on you?
This is the question that I had to really be honest about where I am in my life to answer. In this moment I’m building up a milk supply so that I can take nights away from my son but while I’m doing that, I can commit to a couple hours away at a time. This is where you need to start your answer for yourself–what can you commit to that will not induce anxiety or stress? Then do that.
What does self care look like for me right now?
This is a question I’ve been asked a couple times and up until recently my response was simple: Sleep.
I mean, hello!! I’m a mom! But I took time out to nurture myself a couple weeks ago and y’all, I’m addicted to it now. Now I can answer the question with a real response:
Self care for me is a 90 minute hot stone massage with a bomb ass massage therapist followed by a mani/pedi.
Boom. Asked. Answered.
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think I would be able to handle a 90 minute massage. That’s a lot of minutes, right? But I went to Massage Heights and saw Leslie who is also a mom of multiple children so she knew what I needed. Before having my massage done, I thought that hot stone massages were basically fluff. Like who is really feeling great off having some stones set up on their back? Well, Leslie and these stones turned my tension into putty and now I’m spoiled.
Everything about Massage Heights was what I needed. When I got there for my appointment I was running late, frazzled, and just scatter brained. The woman working the front desk put my entire life at ease when she told me that they were going to take care of me. And they did!
After my massage I went next door and got my nails and toes painted. I did let them do my eyebrows but I don’t think I’ll be cheating on my eyebrow threader again. But listen, THIS is my self care. This 3 hours that I spent away from anyone calling me mom, requesting my boobs, and hearing the kids fuss was soothing to my soul.
So yeah, while many people may be about doing huge, grandiose things for their self care, I urge you to find out what makes you feel like YOU are honoring YOURSELF and do just that.
