Being a mom is busy work, and as incredibly rewarding as it is, it can sometimes be stressful too. When your list of chores never ends and it seems like there’s not enough hours in the day sometimes, it’s easy to feel exhausted and burned out and in dire need for a little bit of time to yourself. Most of us don’t have the time, budget or childcare to be able to take ourselves off to the spa, jet off on vacation for a few days or invest any significant chunk of time into ourselves when we’re feeling this way, like we perhaps would have done before motherhood. But that’s not to say we should neglect ourselves completely, there are things you can do from home and don’t take up much time. Give one of these a try during your baby’s nap time or once they’ve gone to bed at night!
Meditation
Meditation has been shown to be highly effective in reducing stress. By bringing the mind to the present moment and focusing on your breathing, you can lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety. If you’re a beginner try out some guided meditations on Youtube, sit in a comfortable chair or lie on your bed and go through the breathing and visualisation techniques. If you do this right before you go to sleep it can help you to fall asleep quicker and enter a more peaceful, deeper sleep.
Hot baths
Hot baths are great for physical and mental health. They provide a calm, quiet space to unwind, the warm water helps to relieve tense muscles and lower your blood pressure. While you probably make do with quick showers most days, if you have a longer stretch of time and are at a loose end, run a nice bath. Add some pampering products and you could even spend time moisturising, painting your nails and applying a face mask once you’re out.
Journalling
Even a couple of minutes a day writing out some of your thoughts and feelings can be so beneficial. If your head is constantly spinning and full of thoughts, journaling can help to unpick them and enable you to understand yourself a little better. Even just journaling your moods can give you some great data to look back over periodically and make sure that your mental health is staying in check.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are well renowned for their relaxing properties. You could practice self massage techniques with oils such as lavender or rose, or you could consume cbd oil. This is safe, legal and has been shown to help promote relaxation and boost wellbeing.
Hobbies
Hobbies that you can do from home and easily pick up and put down are ideal when you have kids. From crafts to baking to gardening and blogging are all examples. Hobbies help you to build and maintain lots of different skills and also give your mind a break from parenting.
What do you do to relax as a busy mom?
