As a mom, scheduling time for yourself often feels like an impossibility. There is always something that needs to be done or someone that needs your attention. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay-at-home-mom, a work-from-home-mom or a full-time-working-mom, and it doesn’t matter if you have one child or five. Every mom needs time to themselves. That’s why I put together these ideas for Ayurvedic Self Care for Busy Moms!
Mom burnout is a very real thing and is detrimental to the whole family. It might feel like self care is a luxury or something for those with ample free time, but it’s not. There is no replacement for a healthy, happy mom so taking time out for yourself needs to be an essential part of your week.
Self care looks different for everyone, but no matter what you do, making a consistent investment in yourself will be the most valuable thing you can do for both you and your family!
How to Make Time for Self Care
If you try to find time for yourself, it will never happen. Something “more important” will always come up. Instead you need to create time and commit to following through on your plans.
Sit down with your partner or whoever is involved with childcare and actually schedule out time slots that are just for you. It really doesn’t have to be much to get going. Start with what you can and try to gradually increase as time goes on.
This new time commitment may mean letting some things go, like having a tidy house all the time! Or, it might mean making some small sacrifices, like your partner reduces their free time to support yours. Once you have some time allocated for you, you also have to make a personal commitment to yourself that this time is yours.
Of course, there are some things you can’t control (like an unwell child). But, if you are just tired or not in the mood or feel like you “should” do something else, push yourself to do it anyways and you’ll feel so glad you did after. So let’s take a look at some Ayurvedic Self Care for Busy Moms!
Ayurvedic Self Care for Busy Moms
Abhyanga – Ayurvedic Self Massage
Abhyanga, or Ayurvedic Self Massage, is the ultimate act of self care! It can take as little as 5 minutes (or up to 20) and feels like a mini at home spa treatment, with a host of health benefits too! Take my free dosha quiz to discover your Ayurvedic Body Type and choose the oil that works best for you.
- Vata: sesame oil, almond oil
- Pitta: coconut oil, sunflower oil
- Kapha: mustard oil, dry brushing
My personal favourite oil at the moment is this one. It combines sweet almond oil and lavender essential oil – perfect for Vatas!
Epsom Salt
The bath is a wonderful place to escape for some time to yourself… No one can ask you to do anything else while you’re in the bath! Plus, it’s easy to jump in once the kids are asleep for the night. Even if you just have 30 minutes, it’s a great way to wind down before going to bed as part of your Ayurvedic Evening Routine for Moms.
Try this instead of unwinding in front of Netflix and see how much better you sleep that night! Epsom salt baths are such a great, inexpensive addition to your self care routine to help relieve stress, ease aches and pains and soothe the skin. You can also add a few drops of essential oil for your dosha too.
- Vata: lavender, ylang ylang, cinnamon, ginger
- Pitta: rose, jasmine, sandalwood, peppermint
- Kapha: rosemary, sage, pine, cedar, eucalyptus, bergamot, grapefruit
Face Mask
I’m all about getting as much bang for my buck with free time. Double up on some self care while you are in the bath with either a face or hair mask. I’d love to say I currently make all my own Ayurvedic skincare, but with a one year old I’m going for natural, store bought options right now. My favourite budget friendly mask is this one from Lush and my favourite to splurge is this one from Skinceuticals.
Sleep Mask
This may seem pretty basic, but moms NEED SLEEP! More so than anyone else, and we’re often the people that get the least of it. While you can’t control if your child is teething or you are in the newborn phase, you can take a few steps to ensure the sleep you do get is good quality sleep. Being in complete darkness is one of the easiest factors you can control, and investing in a good sleep mask (or requesting one as a gift!) is a great self care essential. And if you are having trouble getting your little one to sleep through the night, I can’t recommend this sleep resource more!
Good Food
Self care is not just about relaxing, it’s about actively taking good care of yourself. What you eat is a major contributor to that. If you feel like eating well is overwhelming, download my free weekly meal planner. I’ve also created a complete meal planning workbook to help you take control of your diet, feel organised and start making better food choices!
Time in Nature
It’s very important to schedule some time for yourself OUTSIDE of the house. A little time away from the mess, the never ending to do list, and your regular routine does the world of good!
Living in Vancouver, I am lucky enough to have access to so many incredible beaches, parks and trails. But if that’s not the case where you live, even walking down a tree lined street or keeping plants at home can be beneficial. Or, you might consider going further afield at the weekends to get closer to nature.
Yoga or Exercise Class Pass
Another way to spend some time for yourself outside of the house is to get an exercise class pass. This could be a yoga or gym membership, or any other activity that makes you feel good! You don’t need to sign up for an expensive unlimited pass for an entire year. Even once per week is better than nothing, or buy a 10 class pack that you can use on your own time.
Retreat
I have yet to do something like this since my daughter was born, but I would like to this year. There is a reason retreats are at the end of this list. I find people think going to a retreat once per year is going to solve their problems and it won’t. It’s the DAILY ACTION you take, even when you don’t feel like it, that changes your life. But that’s not to say a weekend, day or even afternoon retreat can’t help you reset and come back to your family feeling refreshed and recharged!
Taking Time for You
I hope you find some inspiration from this list of Ayurvedic Self Care for Busy Moms. If it feels hard at the start, remember this will give you the time you need to feel healthy, well and strong both for yourself and your family. Make sure whatever you do is actually something you enjoy, and not something you think you “should” be doing. You will be surprised at how even a small but regular time investment in yourself can have a ripple effect into all areas of your life! Let me know what works for you in the comments below!
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