Self-care tips of a working mom
This is Anna, Eudemonia founder and a mother to a super adorable and active 2.5-year-old boy, who was just a bit over a year when we entered the pandemic, and I was just a few months being back from my maternity leave at that time.
When I get asked what’s the most challenging thing about being a mom for me, I say - lack of time. Mostly, lack of time for myself and with myself. Considering my history with anxiety and current circumstances we live in, last year I promised myself to be more intentional about self-care. Find ways to squeeze it into my life without trying to rebuild my whole routine, while keeping my expectations of self-care realistic and meaningful to me. To me, that means staying mentally fit and exercising my resilience.
Here are a few things I added to my self-care list last year:
- Practicing gratitude. I tried different tactics here, and to me, writing it down seemed a bit too much work at the moment (well, I have to be kind to myself, that’s self-care as well), so I stuck to mentally noting 3 things I am grateful for each night before I go to bed. Being grateful turned out to be a great habit to have as it translates to other parts of my life!
- Meditation, which I know is spoken about a lot these days. I tried different types of practices, different apps and voices, and found the ones that worked best for me. Just 10 mins a day is what I am currently doing, but it's better than nothing and I hope I can increase this time as I find fit for it in my life. If I skip meditation, I usually substitute it with a simple breathing practice.
- Walks alone (no comment needed, I think!). I also make it a rule not to listen to anything like a podcast or audiobooks, on my walks, and just try to think about something positive. It’s amazing what a mood-booster those walks are for me personally! Full disclaimer, these usually happen just a couple of times per week (but, I'll take it).
- And I have a couple of small self-care rituals I try to perform daily. Each must take no longer than 5 mins, otherwise risk of me skipping it becomes too high. Like a guasha massage I practice every morning, using Face roller and guasha kit from our Me Time Box.
- Lastly, I always prioritize my sleep over a good movie, browsing social media, cooking, cleaning, you name it. Sometimes it’s hard, as my son still wakes up at night, so certain nights are worse than others. I track my sleep on Fitbit and always try to make up for those nights when I have had less sleep.
I find these little things work for me, as they are easy and don’t require too much time, which sets me up for success. In return, I get satisfaction from taking care of my mental health and putting myself in the right mindset for dealing with whatever comes my way in a healthy manner.
