Taking time for yourself

We all know it and yet we all ignore it!  Taking time for yourself! And I don’t mean cleaning during nap times.

Quick Tip:
No, Moms: It’s Not Selfish to Make Yourself a Priority
If you feel guilty about self-care, know this, mama: Taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential part of being a good mom.
By Bonnie Gibbs Vengrow

Old-fashioned mom-guilt also prevents many of us from taking advantage of solo time. After all, what kind of mom puts her own needs ahead of her kids’? Turns out, a pretty good one. That’s because practicing self-care actually helps make you a better parent, points out Kristy S. Rodriguez, a pre- and postnatal wellness expert and advocate, author of the newly released book Pure Nurture: A Holistic Guide to a Healthy Baby, and owner and founder of Pure Nurture. “It’s essential to our health and well-being,” she says. “The more we fill ourselves up, the more we have to give. And as moms, we have to give a lot.”

I am a mother of 2 sons, my first is 21yrs old and my second is 3yrs old. So I know first hand how time flies. A day feels like an hour, a week feels like a day, a month feels like a week, all of a sudden it’s been 10 years!  With time flying by like the speed of light, it’s only fair and understandable to take Me time!

For this mom I have a couple of go to’s. I love puzzles. I put on a movie that I’ve seen a thousand times, for background noise, and I work on a puzzle.  I’ve done anything from 500 to 1000 piece puzzle. My favs are the Disney portraits from Thomas Kincaid or the Dowdle puzzles.  Someday I will work up to the big leagues and do puzzles past 1000 pieces! ;). My other good get away is catching up with a friend and walking.  It doesn’t sound to exciting but it’s so refreshing. A good fast pace and gossip partner is always refreshing. I get to kill three birds with one stone!  Exercise, venting, and camaraderie!

Quick tip:
If you feel guilty about self-care, know this, mama: Taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential part of being a good mom.
By Bonnie Gibbs Vengrow

Carve out time for yourself—and keep it
To turn a once-in-a-blue-moon activity into a full-fledged habit, you’ll need to do it frequently and consistently. Some moms, like Kristy Tillman, have found success by scheduling an assortment of standing “dates” with other people. An avid runner, the mom of two works out several times a week while her husband cares for their sons. (She reciprocates so he can exercise each week, too.) Before the family relocated to Europe, she had a regular weekend date with a friend and each month attended a book club meeting. Tillman and her husband also had a subscription to their city’s symphony, which gave them regular built-in dates.

In fact, making plans with other people—whether friends, a personal trainer, your partner—can help ensure you keep them, since you’re less likely to back out if someone is depending on you. It also helps if you plan ahead and mark the time in your calendar, just as you would a doctor’s appointment. “Determine what you’re quality alone time will be this week and then make a plan,” Rodriguez says. “Once you have a plan, figure out some motivation to keep that special time set. Create a no-cancellation policy with yourself.”

Easier said than done right! I know the guilt you feel when you actually do take a moment. You’re doing nobody any favors by not recharging those batteries. If we want to keep up a healthy emotional and mental state than we need to accept and follow good advice.