Working Moms Archives - The Motherly Heap

14 Practical Self-Care Tips To Avoid Burnout Among Working Moms

Jordan N. — Thu, 13 May 2021 00:15:48 +0000

Hello Self-Care! Now, I know what you are thinking; this post is another self-care spewing article about a spa retreat or momcation somewhere. Packing up your pretty luggage and hightailing out of town. Let me tell you – it’s not. You’ll come to realize that these are self-care tips that working moms unknowingly miss are within their grasp amidst the chaos of work and home. So Mama, to keep us on topic, let me ask you then. I need you to be honest with me and best to yourself. Do you feel guilty about taking the time to do self-care? Do you feel like every little thing in your life needs to be handled timely? How about putting yourself behind everyone? Do you snap out easily? Does an angry momster come out at the end of the day? When you are in these situations, it’s about time to do something about it. Okay, we’re on a roll now. How do you make time when all things and people in your life demand every piece of you? I know how hard it is to put your own needs first. Moms are geared to put our loved ones as the top priority. And I truly understand how work and parenting combined are hard. Does motherhood and work-life make your head spin around? Are you feeling burnout rising to the surface? How much more can you handle without caring for yourself intentionally? Bluntly said, your family commitments, your work responsibilities, and all the other stuff that gets your attention besides yourself. You are last on that priority list! I get it, I hear you, Mama. When is the perfect time then? What if I tell you to claim it NOW! No scheduling it in your calendar. Right, this very minute; no more, no less. Just leave what you’re doing right now and go outside. Take in the biggest breath and exhale it slowly – five times. Inhale the spring air through your nose (if you’ve got spring allergies, do it inside) all the positives in your life and exhale all your worries, lips slightly open until your stomach balloons out. Five times, please. At this moment, you want to be able to stop and really focus on yourself. What are the things you can easily do that promote self-care? Easy self-care ways you can pump yourself up while at work or on your way home. Generally, practice it as a habit. Repeating something consistently until you don’t need to think hard. You don’t need to decide. You just intentionally do. Mama, find your big motivation for doing self-care. Remind yourself of that drive every time you feel discouraged and unmotivated to do it. Related post: An Overview on Self-Care for Moms Here are realistic self-care tips for working moms when your time is tight. 1. Wake up Early Before everyone. When you wake up early while everyone’s still asleep – this is a great time to do your quiet self-care activities. Journal/Pray/Meditate. You can write in your journals or do your daily devotions. Write down everything you are most grateful for in your life; think of the positive things that give you joy. 2. Stretching for 10 minutes! Believe it or not, 10 minutes of daily stretching can really do wonders in your calmness and readiness to begin your day. Simple 6 quick yoga poses like a mountain, half-standing fold, warrior stance 1, pigeon pose, child pose, and easy seat. Get your muscles to wake up as well. Pace yourself with slow deep breathing. Recommended 10 Minutes Morning Yoga for you: Wake Up Yoga by ♥ Boho Beautiful ♥ 3. Do a quick shower to perk you up! Nothing like a good shower to start your day fresh and clean. If you put this off, it’ll eventually be put off for the rest of the day. Use your favorite body care items and enjoy this energizing wake-up tip! 4. Eat a healthy breakfast! Feed yourself your favorite breakfast staples. Fresh fruits, a warm bowl of oatmeal, whatever you like. It’s important to rev up your metabolism early in the day. You don’t want to be hungry clocking into work. Your body will thank you. 5. On lunch break: Take a walk outside for fresh air. Basically, zone out of your workplace for a few minutes outside. Do it to reset yourself. Productivity can be attributed to how you feel and how your mindset is. Walking to clear your mind and help reduce work stress. 6. Update your calendar with your chosen self-care interest. Plan for 1 hour on the weekend to do your self-care. You can do this as frequently as you want, every week or every month. A consistent schedule for your Me-time will help you stick to it. Knowing what type of self-care ideas and how long they’ll take for you to do them, it’s easier to schedule them within your day. Here are some indoor and outdoor activities you can try out for self-care and decrease burnout. 7. Listen to self-improvement/motherhood audibles/podcasts during your commute. There are many podcasts for moms in general. Find the one that resonates with you. Find the one that stirs you to change. These mediums have plenty to offer on self-care tips for moms as well. Hearing from other moms who get it can make you feel you’re not alone. 8. Learn to say NO. Humans are social beings, and we thrive through connection. When you know that your plate is top full, say no to some invites in your life. Stay connected with your close friends and relatives. However, you are not obligated to go to every party, night out, or social event if that means taking time out of your short busy day. 9. Reconnect with Family. Spend 30 minutes or more of playtime with the kids, no phones, no distractions. You’ll be amazed at how relaxed you’ll feel when you are near your kids after a toxic shift. That tension will melt away. Kids want to connect with you after a long day at school and extracurriculars. Both ends meet, and all feels good. 10. Unwind after dinner. As everyone is trying to settle down after dinner. This can be a good time to reconnect with your spouse. Just talking about the day and asking how his day went. Kids can continue to do quiet time activities in the background. You can do this while the kids are still up or wait until they’re asleep. It’s really what you prefer. 11. Prep your things the night before. Getting your stuff ready ahead is going to cut the time of rushing in the morning. When you know what to wear, bags packed with essentials and everything – you’ll feel much calmer as the next day rolls in. That goes as well with the kids’ stuff. By not crowding your brain with small decisions while everyone’s trying to get out the door, it’s less chaos in the morning. 12. Bedtime routine. Do what helps YOU unwind and get in the mood for rest. Take a warm shower or bath. Do your skincare routine, whether simple or complex. Quick gratitude journaling for things that happened during the day. A humble prayer of thanks. Do what makes you happy and de-stressed. Cuddle time with hubby or catching up on shows you watch together. 13. Sleep on time. Going to bed and getting proper rest is vital to your health. Resist opening social media at this hour. It could get pretty lengthy when you indulge in it. Try to dim down the lights or off (if you prefer). Get under the sheets, put on your eye mask, and off to dreamland you go. 14. On weekends: Discover what you love to do. Pick up a hobby. Something that makes you happy. Pick a day and an hour to do just that. Go for a nature walk with the whole family. Self-care doesn’t mean you only get to do it alone. The sole purpose is that you’ll promote positive emotions within you. If family time helps you relax, by all means, do what makes you feel decompressed. **Some links in this post are affiliate links. I get commissions for purchases made through links at no extra cost to you. Also, the information written on this website is for general information purposes only. Read more details on this disclosure.** Create a Pamper Me-time! What I mean by this is your Mommy Grooming. I used to get my toenails done before. But with kids, I learned how to do it myself; and I’m actually enjoying it. Basic toenails care; if I want nail colors, then yes. Do this right after pampering your feet with this Bubble Mate Foot Spa. Busy moms, add shaving your legs and plucking eyebrows to this mix. Who’s got time to do that during weekdays? How about a deep cleansing skincare routine? Yes, please. You want to put make-up on or do deep conditioning hair care? Go ahead. The sky’s the limit, plus you get to beautify yourself for yourself. Working Moms are short on time and self-care doesn’t require that much. You need it to recuperate; it’s time to make time. Those are realistic self-care tips for working moms you can implement when HECTIC is the Main word of the day. These self-care ideas aim to help stressed-out moms to create time for themselves even when short on time. Find your reasons for doing these self-love activities. Remember these reasons why you even started. Look for simple, achievable self-care ideas to start with. Don’t just make it a habit, but also do it with purpose. Underneath that strong front, there’s a Mama that needs caring and nurturing too. What most moms don’t realize is that self-care isn’t a reward at the end of a busy day. Rather, self-care is the gift of caring for yourself. Therefore you find what works for you and something you definitely love. In no time, no matter how chaotic and stressful your daily mom life can be – you’ll be your own self-care advocate. Now that you have those self-care tips, I encourage you to do one or two of these tips to incorporate into your busy mom life. Mama, if you don’t know where to start in creating your self-care plan, you can check this post: Self-Care for Working Moms: Embracing the Need of Caring for Yourself. I hope that some of these self-care tips for busy moms like you can motivate you to be actively involved in promoting your happiness and wellbeing. Take the chance to give yourself the love you deserve. Happy YOU equals a happy mom, wife, friend, and employee. Moms, what are your favorite self-care tips? I’d love to know what gets you going. Share in the comment below and share this post with the moms in your life.

The post 14 Practical Self-Care Tips To Avoid Burnout Among Working Moms appeared first on The Motherly Heap.

Self-Care for Working Moms: Embracing The Need of Caring for Yourself

Jordan N. — Mon, 10 May 2021 21:25:06 +0000

Self-Care View Where does self-care for working moms stand in focusing on working moms today? Working outside the home is challenging enough, adding to the home obligations that are constantly increasing. Will you ever have the time and energy to meet the demands of both sides? It’s real that moms are seen like worker bees in a hive. The worker bees take on different roles inside the hive. They tend to the young ones, bring food for the pack and help keep the hive going. Without the worker bees, the whole hive can have a standstill. No output and no support. Working moms carry this role: to be available and cater to everyone’s needs. You wake up and take care of your family. You clock in and out at your 9-5 job. Then you go home and manage the household. You strive to be present in everything about your kids and your spouse. Then you hit the sheets and do it all over again tomorrow. There isn’t enough time to focus on self-care for moms while working outside the home. Finding quick ways to incorporate self-care activities can be tough for working moms. Time constraints can be a huge factor, and setting up one’s priorities is another. My reality then… It was difficult when I was a full-time nurse and a mom. The pressure of being 100% focused at work while thinking about home. While at home, the occupying thought if I’ve done what I needed to do at work before I left. There was always a crossline between my job and my life at home. Balancing work and home always seems to find ways requiring me to multitask. I should be able to. Since I’m a mom and my professional life needs just that. I found out the hard way. Because I didn’t feel the need for self-care was really that important, I felt drained after every 3/12hrs shift. Not as much from the physical, but the mental and emotional area is where I struggled the most. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job as a nurse, and I love to help people. Then, making sure my home obligations are met. People who depend on me are cared for. The house is kept at least to a minimum of acceptable cleanliness. Everybody is alive and well despite the chaos. Something had to change; I chose to put myself first. At first, it was tough to re-adjust my life and my schedule. However, as I got into its rhythm, it became easier and more manageable to do self-care, even in short bursts during a hectic week. Why Self-Care is a Must for Working Moms Self-care is necessary for all working moms. This 5-step process is the way to regain your footing, recharge your being, and promote wellness. Mama, if you keep doing the bare minimum for yourself to keep going, eventually, it will catch up on you. The total overload between home and work can change you inside. There has to be a way to unwind and reset for working moms. You have to choose what and when you’re going to start. No one can deny that when working moms juggle home and work responsibilities, it can cause undue imbalance and may result in them reaching a breaking point. Instead of thriving, you are in survival mode. As a mom, you bear it all. You are more than willing to do what’s needed at the expense of your sanity and health. You give all until you can’t give any more. Plus, add the pandemic to your overflowing plate. RELATED POST: How to Incorporate Exercise into your Daily Life Glancing at recent surveys about working moms According to an article in TODAY Parents, early this May 2021was released about, a survey conducted by TODAY Parents showed “83% of moms feeling burnt out by the pandemic parenting. More than two-thirds of moms (69%) reported feeling overwhelmed, according to our unscientific online survey of more than 1,200 moms, and 64% shared that the past year has been extremely hard.” Now more than ever, working moms need the support they can get from work and home life if you’re working for a company that is sensitive to the needs of working parents and can offer options for flexible workload or fewer hours – GREAT! What about those working moms who don’t have these choices afforded to them? They are who are going to be the most vulnerable or burnt out in the workplace. This situation can also be hard for moms who are just returning from maternity leave to the workforce. Re-entering the workforce needs careful adjustment and company involvement in the transition. Some may need new accommodations, such as pumping milk during break times for babies at home. Some may cut back some hours/shifts to be there for a sick newborn. How the company supports these mothers will reflect on the values that the company itself upholds. In turn, supported mothers are more than willing to put their best efforts into work. According to the analysis conducted involving 226K mothers by Great Place to Work’s Annual Study of the Best Workplaces for Parents. The analysis showed a “28% greater chance that working mothers will experience burnout than working fathers. Additionally, 2.3M are the estimated number of additional cases of burnout among working mothers due to unequal demands of home and work.” Looking at these numbers, working moms are not only struggling but very much depleted overall. So how can we put self-care in front of working moms? Knowing the benefits of doing self-care for working moms. Grounding and Energizing – it’s a soul searching and body-boosting activity. Your overall wellness is taking center stage. Aligning Self – Choosing yourself by doing self-love and care. It clarifies what you need—asking the right questions and seeking solutions that are right for you and your busy life. Addressing Mom Guilt – being a mom comes with this intense feeling. I wouldn’t know how it is for you because it comes in numerous scenarios for every mom. Take the time to acknowledge – you can’t be there for everyone; there’s only one you. You think you fail when you don’t meet those needs. It’s perfectly okay to feel this way. Much easier to handle your emotions when you know where you’re coming from. Caring for yourself is not selfish. It’s self-love and self-preservation. The 5Fs: Realistic Tips Working Moms need to address before creating a Self-Care Plan First Small Steps – you don’t have to dip with your whole being in one go. As a busy working mom, take each step at a time. Choose one activity at a time and build on it. Fold and look inward – sit down and breathe. Search within what can make your life easier and better. Your priorities and goals. What can be done now and others the next? What makes you happy? Follow a Schedule – it’s fun to be spontaneous. But, when you mix it with your work schedule and home routines – it can become what keeps you from doing self-care. Manage your time well. Sticking to a schedule, you’ll know what to expect at a given time. Although, adjusting to anything in a snap is one of your strengths being a busy mom. Block a time for self-care to be consistent. Find Hacks to lessen the load – Home management can become mountainous work. The climb is never fun! So then, when you find what works to keep your household going, employ it—having online grocery deliveries, getting everyone to pitch in, being humble to ask for help from your circle, and hiring professionals to help with kids/housework. You get the gist of it. Flush out distractions – what comes first on your distraction list? Take note of what keeps you from achieving your daily tasks at home and work. When you have the answers, move on to keep them to a minimum or schedule them in a time block (20mins a day or so). Try not to overdo it, or you’ll waste time instead of being productive. The 5 Steps Process of Self-Care Take the brave step of creating your self-care plan. It is a process that walks you through from step 1 to step 5. Moms can apply this in creating their personalized self-care plans. I understand how limited your time is as a working mom. The windows of self-care opportunities are so rare that even every ounce of your being wants to grab them. Let’s explore each step within the context of Self-Care. Assess This step is the part where it all begins for you. But, first, write down who you are as a person, including your strength and weakness. Look closely at each aspect of your well-being: Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, and Mental. What is lacking? Are there any holes that need filling? What can you do to promote self-love? Ask the hard questions. Identify Based on your answers above, write down what needs improvement, growth, or cut-offs. Old unhealthy habits might pose another challenge for you. Commit to yourself in this change. Plan Reflect and create your personal, realistic goals. Focus on your short-term goals for now. Long-term goals will follow. You can create a vision board for these goals and refer to them whenever – hiccups happen. Implement Make time! Create it! You can’t practice self-care without carving your own time. As busy as you are now, make a conscious effort to pause each day and do your favorite Me-time. Taking your time to practice each self-care activity before adding another one will get you going. Start simple and be consistent about it. Give yourself to commit to 7 days of self-care. Short-term goals, remember? Then add in more days or weeks until it becomes a habit for you. Related post: Self-Care Tips for Working Moms to Avoid Burnout Evaluate When you finally reach to measure your actions and how they affected you, sit down and look back to what happened in a week, a month. The outcome of your renewed self will be a reward. See the person who chose to transform positively. Re-adjust your time management, add more or take less of your chosen self-care activities. Self-Care Summary: To start self-care, recognize your own need for it and what you are expecting to get from it. Realistically, following the 5Fs will prep you for creating your self-care plan. Then use the 5-Step Process of Self-Care to begin your own self-care journey. Life can hinder practicing self-care and even your own personal growth. Working moms are challenged to do a balancing dance between work and home every day. It’s not going to go away even if you perfectly do so. However, doing self-care for working moms is quite possible if you choose to do it. When you’re tired and depleted, your coping mechanism gets tousled around. How you handle it – is entirely up to you. How you feel afterward is manifested by your attitude, relationships, and life in general. If there’s anything you need to do now in your demanding mom life, take a moment for yourself. Put yourself on top for an hour, a week, or so. Let this commitment be engraved for self-improvement and self-love. Because by choosing yourself – you also ultimately choose the people you love and be the best in your career. If you’re interested in starting your self-care journey today, download the Self-Care Worksheets below for FREE. Jumpstart Yourself Today! Click here to show popup Do you want to learn more about self-care for moms? Physical Self-Care for Moms Self-Care for Moms in this Hard Year Ways to Incorporate Self-care into your Early Morning Routine What do you want to change in your life? Are you choosing self-care as a priority? How do you plan your Me-time after a hectic week? Share in the comment. Share this post...

The post Self-Care for Working Moms: Embracing The Need of Caring for Yourself appeared first on The Motherly Heap.