Ever wonder how mums do it? Somedays, I wonder how I made it through the day. I marvel at my ability to control my emotions and do so many tasks in one day. Other times, I can no longer wait for the day to end. I crave the silence of the night and the even breathing of my family asleep. Motherhood is both wonder and chaos. And if we are not careful, we lose ourselves in the process. So I’ve written you this mental health article about self care to help you with motherhood.
Mental Health Benefits of Self Care
You probably heard about the adage “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” This is the best way to explain why mummies need to stop and to rest. Every single day, we care for the needs of other humans. And even if we love them, it takes a toll on our well-being and mental health.
Self-care is an intentional activity done to take care of yourself. The goal is to maintain your wellbeing and to protect yourself from unmanaged stress. For me, it’s doing something fun that improves my mood and gets me going. Taking care of yourself is investing in the happiness of your family. Self-care is not only about you. You give a higher quality of care if you are in your best disposition and mental health.
I’ve put in this list of benefits to encourage you to take care of yourself.
- You become physically stronger and healthier to tackle your daily tasks.
- You become emotionally and mentally stable and resilient to stress.
- You become a great example for your kids. You show them that self-love promotes self-esteem and kindness.
- You become more than a mom. Self-care helps you with personal growth. You find comfort in who you are and who you want to become, other than being a mum.
Practicing Self Care for Mental Health
There are many ways that you can do self-care and be proactive about your mental health. In this mental health article, I will discuss very simple ways for you to get started.
- Feel good about yourself.
The easiest way for me to do this is to take a long shower, wear nice cloth, and put make-up on. It doesn’t matter if I am staying home anyway. I want to feel beautiful and feel good about myself.
- Warm-up under the sun.
I especially like to do this in the morning with my coffee. It immediately lightens my mood and helps me get started with my chores. Psychology says that sunlight triggers the release of the hormone that promotes the feeling of being calm and focused.
- De clutter something.
I like to de clutter things around my house when boredom strikes. I can do this while sitting down and sorting stuff. I don’t need to exert effort and focus. But after de cluttering, I immediately feel productive and accomplished. Tidying around the house helps with unproductive feelings too. It enhances the appearance of my house. And it looks clean even if I did not put in a lot of effort.
- Unplug or go offline.
Social media and television can contribute to our already tiring homes. Keeping up with current events is important. But it also adds to more things that our mom-brain needs to decipher. Social media is also the gateway to feel worse about yourself. It’s an envy book full of good things that we can’t do. I usually set a time when I can open social media and a time that I don’t. And this is true for the kids too.
- Take a walk.
Walking is both a form of exercise and leisure. It burns calories and improves our physical health. But at the same time, it clears the fog away from our brain. We think clearly and creatively while walking. This is a type of exercise that improves both physical and mental health. This is my favorite! I can bring the kids with me. They got some playtime and I got some self-care. How fun!
- Start a gratitude list.
A gratitude list helps me become optimistic and improves my life outlook. Initially, it was difficult for me to list down reasons to be thankful. I usually do this before bedtime and think back of reasons to be thankful for the day. Eventually, it became easier and sometimes I start my list before bedtime.
Motherhood Self Care Is For Mental Health
Burn-out is real in motherhood. This is not only true to working mums but also true with a homemaker. We all reach a point of exhaustion. Motherhood self-care would mean putting aside the needs of the family. It is intentional, scheduled, and at the top of the priority list. This is why some women feel that self-care is being selfish. But it’s not. We mentioned earlier that this is for the benefit of the family. It might sound difficult but with lots of practice, it becomes easier. Start with the easiest and adopt more methods as you become more consistent.
Self-care is most effective if we do this as a preventive measure and not as a treatment for mental health issues. If you are on the brink of burn-out, please get help. You might need more than self-care.
Mummies, you are important! Take care, will you?
One man may steal a horse while another may not look over a hedge.