By Stacy DeBroff
Between driving kids to lacrosse practice and basketball tournaments, making dinner, searching for summer camps, taking care of the dog, checking off work or volunteer commitments, and tossing in endless loads of laundry, we Moms pack a lot of activities into any given day. Unfortunately, in the crunch to get it all accomplished, we begin to make sacrifices and adjustments to our own priorities – setting the alarm a little earlier to get a jump on the day or assuming that we’ll get our exercise by running the laundry basket up and down the basement steps.
Yet, in order for us to take care of our families, we have to take care of ourselves. I’ve included some of my favorite tips below:
1. Prioritize
Make “you” a priority. Schedule a time each week that you commit to doing something solely for you – from a yoga class to a manicure to browsing the public library – while someone else cares for your child. Look upon this time as integral to your health and well-being, and not expendable.
2. Exercise
Schedule time for exercise every week, because it never happens if left up to chance. Working out gives you more energy, helps you lose weight, improves your circulation and your mood, tones your muscles, and makes you healthier.
3. Sleep
Get enough sleep each night to sustain your lifestyle as an active and involved Mom. Tag team with your partner for some extra sleep on weekend mornings by alternating who gets up with your child
4. Eat Well
Eat nutritiously, as you’ll function much better if you’re running on a balanced diet rather than your child’s leftover macaroni and cheese or chicken fingers.
5. Escape
Create a place of retreat in your house or garden that soothes and restores you. This can be as simple as a big, comfortable chair with good lighting and a soft throw so you can curl up and read.
6. Get Support
Time for friends is refreshing as well as necessary to maintaining your sanity. Find friends who can provide support, advice, and empathy when you need it, and with whom you enjoy responding in kind.
7. Pamper Yourself
Think of quick and easy ways to pamper yourself, such as: Take a bubble bath with scented oil and candles, go for a walk outdoors or do something athletic, get a new haircut, attend an intriguing talk or presentation, treat yourself to a facial, massage, a luxurious face cream, a fancy soap, yoga class, or a cleaning service or get an over-sized, soft terrycloth robe and comfy slippers to put on at the end of a stressful day.
Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central Consulting, the leading social media consulting firm focused on Moms, brings more than a decade of award-winning experience, expertise, and insight to the nation’s top brands, agencies, and organizations. In 2011, Inc. magazine named Mom Central Consulting (www.momcentralconsulting.com) to its Inc. 500|5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Read more about Stacy at www.stacydebroff.com.
The post Hot Mom Monday: 7 Tips for Taking Care of Mom appeared first on Spa Week Daily.