Happy Mother’s Day from Health Yoga Life! Self-care is important for everyone, but especially for moms. Take some time and choose one of these tips to try and give yourself a break today. Even if you can’t schedule a weekend at the spa, you should find at least a few minutes in your day to take care of yourself.
Meditate
Meditation is good for everyone, but especially for moms. When you spend all your time and energy caring for others, you have nothing left over for yourself. Even taking five minutes to meditation and reset your mind can give you a break to take care of your physical and mental health. We recently talked about some of the benefits of meditation, including improved sleep and lower anxiety. Those benefits are especially important for moms, so don’t skip your meditation routine.
Restorative Yoga
Yoga is probably part of your routine already, but for the times when you need self-care, try a restorative class. You’ll hold the poses for a longer period and use props to support you. Even if you don’t want to do a whole class, here are some restorative poses to try. If you’re a new mom, be sure to ask your doctor if you’re cleared for yoga. You might also want to find a teacher who is certified in pre and post-natal yoga to help you come up with poses that will work for you and your body. Restorative yoga is great for moms of any age, including grandmas.
Gratitude Journal
Another self-care practice that can really help moms is keeping a gratitude journal. When life is chaotic and it can be hard to see the bright spots, a gratitude journal can help you focus on the good things in your life. You don’t have to do this practice every day to see the benefits, in fact, you should probably only write once or twice a week. Be detailed in your descriptions. They’ll have more impact if you concentrate on why you are grateful for certain things. For more tips on keeping a gratitude journal, you can read our guide.
Schedule Me Time
It may sound silly to schedule time to just be with yourself, but sometimes if it’s not written in the planner, it’s not getting done. Here are some ideas for what you can do with your me time:
- Take yourself on a date. Buy yourself lunch, go to the movies, or even spend the day on a hike. You are the person you spend the most time with, so don’t forget to stop and get to know yourself again.
- See a friend. You know that friend you keep telling yourself you want to hang out with, but you’re just too busy? Call them up or send a message and schedule a coffee date, or a yoga class together.
- Get out in nature. When you reconnect with nature, you reconnect with yourself. Go on a run, rent a kayak, or visit a botanical garden