Go you! If you are reading this then that means either you have decided to put yourself first for once and you need some ideas, or the idea of simple and free self-care activities caught your attention and you’re wanting to see what this is all about. I applaud you for being here no matter the reason.
Taking care of yourself is important.
You are Important.
Remember that. Hold onto that!
Let’s start simple!
What is a Self-Care activity?
It is anything you do for yourself that lifts your mood, gives you peace, or lowers your stress. Bonus if one activity can do all three!
As a mom self-care is something that usually gets pushed to the back burner. It happens, but if you haven’t already read my post “5 Reasons Why You Should Make Self Care A Priority” stop what you are doing and go read that first. You need to understand why Self Care is important, that way you have a change in mindset about your needs.
How can you implant Self-Care activities?
For me, I try to remember to do 1 or 2 self-care activities each day and then do a big activity once a month. (Get a massage, sit in a coffee shop for a couple hours, or get a pedicure.) Also, I’m a total open book, so I want you to notice I used the word “try.” Each day brings its own set of tantrums, time-outs, meal prepping, cleaning, and just plain chaos. There are many days I don’t even do 1 Self-Care activity and that’s ok. The important thing, is to remember you are important, your joy is worth holding onto, and taking care of your mental health is a priority. As long as you have that mindset there is no need to beat yourself up over missing a few days.
So, when the kids are all asleep, your husband is home to watch the kids, or they are distracted by our BFF the TV, (No shame there mama, NO SHAME!) do one of the activities listed below.
10 Simple & Free Self Care Activities
- TAKE A NAP | A Nap? What is this thing you call sleep? I know, right?! Between midnight nursing sessions, 3am nightmares, and 12 THOUSAND tossing and turning kicks from a toddler, you are without a doubt lacking in the sleep department. Take some time and catch some of those well-deserved z’s!
- GO FOR A WALK | A time outside getting some fresh air and getting your blood pumping will help increase your mood, so strap on those sneakers and get to walking.
- LAY IN YOUR BED & LISTEN TO YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST | If you listen to any podcasts than I’m sure you have a few favorites. If you don’t, well darling I’m about to rock your world. There are a million different podcasts out there ranging from everything under the sun. I’m serious. If it’s your Jam then there is a podcast out there about it. Mom Talk, Business, Marriage, Comedy, and SOOO much more!
- READ (OR LISTEN TO) A GOOD BOOK | If you’re like me, than audio books are your total muse! I’m a slow reader, so I tend to always fall back to good old faithful audio books. For me I feel like a kid sitting at the feet of their grandparents getting to hear some of the most magical tales. Side Note! Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series is like a slice of Heaven on Earth. If you haven’t listened to them, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and go listen to them NOW. 123,463,672,935 times better than all the movies combined!
- GIVE YOURSELF A PEDICURE | Most likely you have something around your house you can fill with some warm water and give your feet a good soak. Tip 1: I Totally have used my baby’s bathtub before, No Joke! Tip 2: If you have it add some Epson Salt and Essential Oils to the water and let your feet soak up all the healthy goodness.
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- GIVE YOURSELF A FOOT MASSAGE | Who doesn’t love a good foot massage? Now granted its 10x better when you’re not the one doing the massaging but Hey, beggars can’t be choosers.
- TAKE A BATH | I love baths! For about 2 years I lived in houses that didn’t have a bathtub. I know, it was depressing. Now that we have a bathtub I take full advantage of it and take at least 2 long hot baths each week. I love to add a couple cups of magnesium flakes and a bath bomb! Pure Magic! Tip 1: Invest in a bath pillow! You won’t regret it! Tip 2: Lock the door. The kids will come barging in and want to talk to you if you don’t. Your stuck and they know it, so just lock the door!
- BIBLE JOURNAL | If you don’t know what Bible Journaling is Google it or look it up on Pinterest, but don’t let all the fancy pages scare you away from doing it. I just started and there are some easy was to start doing it.
Tip 1: The cheap set of watercolors you send with your kid to school each year are the perfect thing to use. They are thin enough you can paint over a drawing and it wont weigh your page down.
Tip 2: Find a picture you like on google. Save it to your phone. Open it in your photos app expand or shrink it as needed and lay the page you want to draw it on directly on top of your phone and trace.
Tip 3: Stickers and Washi Tap are your best friend.
Tip 4: Dollar Tree has a set of colored pens that I love to use. See Picture below!
- JOURNAL | Journaling can be a great way to vent or express yourself. Having an outlet like this will help lower your stress levels.
- DO SOME YOGA OR LIGHT STRETCHING | Exercise is great at releasing many positive, uplifting, and beneficial hormones.
Taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be complicated or even expensive! Keeping it simple means you are more likely to actually do a few self-care activities each week. So don’t over think it. Just write all these suggestions down and put it in a high traffic area so you will see it through out each day and remember, You Are Important!
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