The wonderful chaos that children bring are one of the many reasons why moms need to create habits in their lives to keep them sane. Habits don’t just happen, you have to create them, practice them and live them every day. The habits below are simple, but I can bet as a new mom you’ve let the most basic habits like exercising and showering slip. This week, commit to taking care of yourself at the most basic level.
Leave a comment with a habit or ritual you have that helps keep you sane.
A Bedtime
Just like your kids, you need a bedtime. It is so easy to get sucked into a Netflix binge and before you know it you are getting 5 hours of sleep before your babies are waking you up again because they are thirsty or need to pee. Go to bed. Sleep deprivation is real and moms feel it the worst. Give yourself a shut down time, turn off all of the TV’s and screens and begin to wind down so you can actually fall asleep.
Shower
You might be laughing reading this, but if you’re a mom you get it. Sometimes dry shampoo is the only thing getting you through the week.
Why is it so hard to shower??!
Get in the habit of showering every night or in the morning. I am a late night shower person. I like to shower after I’ve put the kids to bed so I can shower all the snot and dirt away before I climb into my clean sheets. Whatever time works best for you, get in the routine of showering you will feel like a million bucks when you’re done.
Meal plan
I have fallen in love with my crock pot since becoming a mom. I can easily dump food in it before my day starts and by dinner time it is waiting to be eaten. That being said my least favorite question at the end of the day is “What’s for dinner?”. There have been so many nights where I just look at my family and say I have no idea. I stay at home so I typically cook dinner, but some weeks, if I don’t meal plan I don’t have the energy to put anything together.
The meal planning habit is a game changer to reducing stress, this is one I still struggle with!
Exercise
I hear you, I’ve been there. The not sleeping, the breastfeeding or pumping, the constant noise, exercise is probably not high up on your list of things at this point. Finding the energy at the end of the day is tough when you’ve been chasing toddlers all day.
You need to make this one a habit. The endorphins that will be released when you start moving more will help combat postpartum emotions and overall put you in a better mood. The workouts will help you lose the weight which will help your body get back to feeling like its pre baby self sooner. You don’t need to run a marathon tomorrow, but start setting aside time during nap time, early morning or after you put them to bed to get your body sweating.
Quiet Time
Call it what you want to call it, meditation, yoga, deep breathing or quiet time. You need time to yourself where you aren’t making grocery lists and managing a little person’s every move. Block out time that is just for you where you can sit and think. It’s amazing when you are surrounded by littles all day how difficult it is to have a complete thought in your head. Getting in the habit of prioritizing quiet time will help your sanity every day.
What is one habit that you’ve started that helps you survive motherhood?
As I’m typing this list I find humor in the similarities of mom’s needs and our children’s needs. Our kids need naps, quiet time, exercise, bed times and healthy meals… and so do we! So often we prioritize our kids habits and let our own slide. As moms we selflessly care for everyone else around us, but I think our health is something that we need to be more selfish about. When we start making a point to take care of ourselves we will be better able to care for our little ones.
Set a good example to your family and start setting routines that take care of you!
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