If you are a mom, more than likely you know the feeling of having a full schedule. Rushing around, taking a kid to soccer, another to dance class, rush to pick up the dry cleaning and then running home to get cookies baked for the youngest child’s snack day. As moms we have full schedules, usually too full. Our days are full of work, errands and children’s activities. In most mom’s schedules there is one thing missing. Time for mom.
As a mom you are a caretaker. You take care of everyone that depends on you, but who is there to take care of you? As a busy mom you need to remember to take care of yourself. A healthy and happy mom will make the rest of the family happy. The old saying is very true, “if mom ain’t happy, then no one is happy.”
The problem is that you do so much when do you have time for you. There are only so many hours in the day and they are filled with family , work, household upkeep and the various other things that we as moms commit ourselves to. We have to realize that taking time for ourselves is essential for everyone under our roofs. Let’s start with the small stuff and work our way towards the larger things.
Is there an activity that you really enjoy but can never find the time for? Maybe it is the time in the gym, working out with aerobics or walking. These are great activities. They are enjoyable and even better, they are good for you. But sometimes as a mom, these are just hard to find the time to fit into our schedules. Get your kids involved. Find out if the gym you go to has kids activities or will allow younger participants into class. Walking is an activity that kids love to do as well. Take them for walks out through the neighborhood or find a local park with a walking trail. Kids will enjoy getting out and getting exercise .
Need to find an activity that doesn’t involve the kids? Want to find a few hours a day when you can do something simply for you? But just simply can’t manage to find the time with the kids? Consider a kid swap. You aren’t the only mom out there that needs a bit of time to herself to catch up and recharge. There are lots of us out there. Consider swapping your kids out for a Saturday afternoon or weeknight evening. You take the kids of a friend for an afternoon and she returns the favor by taking your children for an afternoon. Just be sure that you spend that time on you. Go shopping, relax, spend an hour at a spa or even curl up with a good book. Just do something fun for you.
Your days are full of activities, children and more activities. As a mom you take care of so many people. Finding time for yourself may not be easy, but you really need to do it. Finding even a spare five minutes where you can indulge in something purely for you will help your outlook.
Aurelia Williams is a certified life coach and author of Getting Out Of The Super Mom Trap . Learn how to overcome the situations that cause you to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and, most likely, under appreciated.