We know mom self-care is so important?
But do you frequently make sure you take the time that you should?
What if I shared with you there’s an unspoken hidden benefit from doing this for your child?
There is and if you’ve been avoiding this because you feel self-care is selfish, maybe this will convince you.
Before we jump in though, if you have a friend that isn’t practicing self-care, share this with them. Hopefully after listening to the podcast above, your friend will realize it actually will help their child in the future.
As you’ll see, bestselling author and coach Jody Agard shares a story of how it doesn’t only benefit her, but her children.
What is Mom Self-Care?
Mom Self-Care is just taking time to do whatever will nurture you, mom.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be expensive. And it doesn’t have to be time consuming.
In fact, Jody has shared with us that self-care can literally take just minutes.
It’s important to start with where you are, though. If you have an infant who needs you day and night, self-care might just mean taking a 5-minute shower where no one bothers you. It could be letting your husband watch the baby while you take a bubble bath.
Or if your kids are older, or you can get away, it could be taking a Saturday afternoon to wander through antique stores or sit outdoors and drink a glass of wine while reading that book you’ve been meaning to get to. (After all, who says every waking minute of your weekend has to be spent with your family?)
The point is, mom self-care is whatever makes YOU feel better. It’s what nurtures you, helps you decompress and makes you feel like YOURSELF.
As Dr. Stephanie Sarkis explains in her article at Psychology Today,
“When you are proactive about your self-care, you regularly build in times in your schedule to take care of yourself, instead of waiting until you are burned out or stressed out. When you wait until a crisis to kick in your self-care, this is called reactive self-care. When you practice consistent proactive self-care, the crisis situations feel more manageable, and you keep burnout at bay.”
Worry that you’re being selfish by taking self-care?
Well, honestly, you are. And that’s OKAY!
Let me ask you something, mom, which of these scenarios sounds best to you:
- You never self-care and you’re always feeling burned out or snapping at your family
- You make weekly self-care a priority for ONE HOUR and the other 167 hours of the week you’re able to be PRESENT for your family and actually ENJOY being with them
Kind of a no brainer, right?
And what if I told you there was one more HIDDEN benefit to self-care that you haven’t even taken into consideration?
The Unspoken Hidden Benefit of Mom Self-Care
Our kids are watching us.
They’re watching what we do and how we handle stress.
What example do you want to set for your kids?
Do you want your kids to grow up, have families of their own, become burned out and completely forget who THEY are?
Do you want your kids to set their own hobbies and interests and passions to the side in order to “be there” for their kids 24/7?
No, of course not!
You want the best for you kids. You want them to grow up and make their OWN self-care a priority. (And I guarantee that’s what your own parents want for you too, mom.)
You’re not just demonstrating what healthy parenting looks like, though. You’re also demonstrating what self-care looks like, period.
You’re showing your kids how you handle bad days or stress.
As Jody explains, in the audio clip above, her son was watching her take some mom self-care time and he followed suit, wanting some “me time” of his own.
Imagine how proud you’ll feel, mom, when your child announces that he had a tiring day and that he just needs to take some time to himself to meditate and decompress. Or go for a walk. Or just be by himself for a bit to brush it off.
Conclusion: Why Mom Self-Care Benefits the Entire Family
If the thing that’s holding you back from making self-care a priority is that it’s “selfish,” then here’s your hall pass, mom. You’re actually doing your kids and your spouse a FAVOR by making sure you’re taking care of yourself.
By taking time for self-care:
- You’ll be more present and focused for your kids and spouse
- You’ll be happier and ENJOY spending time with your family, and
- You’ll be setting a positive example for your kids for how to handle stress and how to be a great parent
Are you making self-care a priority already? What’s the impact you’ve seen on your family. We’d love to hear from you! Just leave us a comment below!
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