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As a working mom, coming up with self-care ideas can be difficult and sometimes even feel selfish. Self-care is not selfish, it’s a fundamental aspect of you being the best you. It’s only when you are the best you that you can do the most for others. If you want to show up at your best for those that depend on you, you need to put your oxygen mask on first. Right? Read on to come up with a list of self-care ideas for moms that work for you and for how to plan a self-care afternoon. You can use the free printable Self Care Planner, at the bottom of this post, to capture your ideas for self-care and to plan your own self-care afternoon.

Self-Care Is Not Selfish

Now, that we can all agree moms need to take time to care for themselves and that it’s not a selfish act, let’s discuss some top self-care ideas.

First let’s look at a quote:

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Bertrand Russel

Self-Care Ideas

That’s right if you enjoy spending time on something, that time is not wasted. A huge part of self-care is simply taking time to do something you love. Ideas for self-care should be about doing what you want. So, let go of the idea that self-care means taking a long bubble bath. Or that the best self-care idea for moms is to get their nails done. If you are not into those things, those are not good ideas. If someone gave you a self-care tip and you thought “oh, that sounds silly”. Maybe it is, for you. Your self-care routine and your self-care ideas should be about what you need. The coolest part is there is no wrong answer about what you need. So be honest with yourself.

Put the ME in Self-Care

Ok, so there isn’t really a ME in self-care, but there should be. The best self-care ideas are the ones that feed your soul and leave you feeling refreshed. It can be hard to figure that out, especially as a working mom with so many obligations. But, figure it out you must. Let your next act of self-care be making a list of ideas that work for you. Think about things you enjoy now as well as things you used to to like to do, both big and small. Then, write them down.  You can use the list in the free printable self-care planner found at the bottom this post to help get you thinking and capture ideas.

A few suggestions of self-care ideas for moms:

Take Action On Your Self-Care Ideas

Ok, so now where does a working mom find time for self-care? Anywhere she can! Seriously, pick some small things you can do for yourself, like a 5 minute mediation, and some big things, like a girl’s weekend and find ways to fit them into your life over the next 3 months. If you can take an afternoon off from work and enjoy yourself, plan it.

Try a of self-care afternoon

So, it’s not always feasible to take an afternoon off of work for a variety of reasons. Having said that, it’s so worth it if you can. Largely because child care is already built in, but also because it is by definition decadent.  If you can’t actually take the time off, see if you can sneak away a little early (or even come in early so you can leave early). Try to do this every 8-10 weeks and use that time to recharge. For example, go have a late lunch at your favorite restaurant or take a long walk in the park. Or, you could try a new fitness class, or wander around a museum. Whatever ended up on your self-care list, do it!

The More The Merrier Self-Care

If you’re a social kind of person, see if you can convince your partner or a friend, to play hooky and join you in your self-care afternoon. Ask them for their ideas on relaxing or refreshing activities and then ask them to join you.

You deserve a little you time and sometimes the middle of the day is the best place to find it.

One Last Self-Care Tip

Self-care isn’t always about doing. Sometimes, it’s about NOT doing. One great way to take care of yourself is to delegate. Take some time to think about things you can delegate. Then, write them down, write down who can handle those things for you and then ask them to it. It might be having someone run an errand for you, your husband washing the dishes, a work task or even attendance at an event. Allowing yourself to not do it all, and empowering others to support you, is a wonderful way to take care of yourself, especially of you’re a working mom.

Alright mama, do you have your list? If not, print out free planner, make your list and take care of yourself. You deserve it. 

If you have trouble finding time, this article might help. Click here for an article and tool that help you figure where to spend your precious time and energy.