Prioritizing my self-care is a challenge. I have incredible women in my life who are very supportive of me and encourage me to prioritize personal self-care as much as I prioritize everyone else’s needs.
A Mom’s Life
Not to sound like a cliché, but parenting is the most rewarding experience of my life. A mom’s life involves working, taking care of the needs of her children and partner, managing school schedules and after-school activities, playdates, cooking, cleaning, etc. On a regular day, I go to work, manage a team of 66 people, then go home to make dinner, do homework, prepare for the next day while my kids and husband are clamoring to tell me all about their day.
The life of a mom is, at times exhausting, but very rewarding. Women are innately wired to take care of everything and everyone else while forgetting to take a break and exercise self-care.
Prioritize Your Time of Rest
My husband has an amazingly blissful routine that ensures he exercises self-care and gets rest. On Fridays, he hangs out with his friends. On Saturdays after our son’s soccer games, my husband lays down on the couch and only moves if he wants to. He sleeps, eats, watches TV, does whatever he wishes.
On the other hand, I spend my weekends taking the kids to play dates, birthday parties, baking, and doing crafts. I end my weekend more exhausted than I was at the beginning of the weekend.
My point is, men are great at giving themselves permission to rest. Women should also permit themselves to take a break. It is okay to take a break, pick a day, a time, and just rest.
A girlfriend of mine constantly preaches to me about the importance of self-care, to which I often respond, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” However, recently, I gave myself permission to exercise self-care. The proper form of self-care to suit my personality and needs. Getting my nails done or getting a massage stresses me out; partying literally makes me break out in hives. I am an introvert; my self-care routine should be in line with my personality.
I urge every mom to study themselves and align their rest and relaxation routine with who they are.
Teach other people to take care of what they can, so you can have moments to yourself.
My priority is that my kids are as self-sufficient as possible at every age and stage. This parenting style has been a great form of self-care. Teaching my kids to heat-up chicken nuggets or make a sandwich, toast a piece of bread, or wash the one dish they just used has significantly impacted me.
When my son eats, he washes the dishes, which helps us to reduce the number of dishes in the sink. When my daughter is hungry, if I am in the middle of something, I tell her to heat up chicken strips, make a sandwich, or grab a fruit.
It’s not necessary to make your self-care routine an exuberant experience. Simple adjustments to one’s day and life will go a long way to incorporating self-care into one’s life.
Thanks for exploring this topic with me.
Idara Joy
One Comment
verona
This is such an underrated topic! Self-care should be paramount. Women tend to prioritize everyone else without recognizing that if one doesn’t put self first, then we are just making life much harder for ourselves and everyone around us. Thanks for sharing