Self-Care Tips for Moms: 3 Simple Ways to Get a Break

Being a parent certainly comes with a high price.  Not only is it expensive financially, parenting takes its toll even on the strongest of moms.

If you consider the personal cost for just a minute, the loss of personal time, the stress to learn about and stay ahead of your child’s developmental milestones, the challenge with deciding on their educational path and maintaining a healthy marriage are enough to push anyone over the edge.

Often moms are the ones who also put themselves last on the list.  Not that dads don’t do their share, they do, but they just don’t usually sacrifice themselves to the degree that moms do.  Due to the programming that comes with being a woman, even as far as we’ve come, most moms I know (working-at-home and working outside of the home) do 90% or more of the childcare and household tasks.

It’s no wonder many moms are stressed out, frustrated, tired, angry or resentful.  But what is a mom to do?  Just relax?  Stop taking care of her kids?  Yes! But just for a little bit…

Here are a few simple things you can do to refill your tank when you’re running on empty.

Start saying ‘no’- No is a powerful word.  We typically think of it as a negative response, but in reality, it is a positive affirmation that we are protecting our precious time and energy.  When we are saying ‘no’ to other we are saying ‘yes’ to ourselves.

Be reasonable- If you’re burning the candle at both ends of the stick realize that what you are doing is NOT reasonable or sustainable.  Ask for help when you need it.  There is no prize for taking on all the responsibilities of child-rearing or household chores alone.  So allow others to chip in too.

Take a kid-free vacation- When is the last time you had a break?  I don’t mean time to get your hair cut or go grocery shopping alone, I mean time off with friends, to relax, to learn and to just have fun.  Make it a regular occurrence and you’ll find you’re more relaxed.

When you do these three things you’ll be sure that your life will be easier, more fun and less stressful and your kids will be the recipient of your new found YOU!

April O’Leary is a Master Life Coach, author and mother of three.  She is the founder of the University of Moms at UofMoms.com and the creator of the Happy Mom Conference.   She resides in southwest Florida with her family and enjoys running, volunteering at her kids school and spending her time empowering moms to be the best they can be.