Dear Editor, Mothers put themselves at bottom of the priority list and look after everyone else before themselves. Through the medium of your esteemed daily, I would encourage you to think differently about value of self-care and look after yourself, the simple and sustainable way. Here are some daily self-care ideas for mothers who want the most out of life. Motherhood doesn’t come with a job description. If it did, it would be a one-liner to say be on call, all of the time and trouble-shoot all problems whenever they arise. At least, that’s what it feels like. Being a mother does not mean you ignore yourself, one of those aspects is about how you look after yourself. Running on empty and putting everybody else’s needs above and beyond yours is a sure-fire way of heading for burn-out, possibly with a little frustration, tears and tiredness thrown into the mix. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Practicing regular, consistent and sustainable self-care, the simple way, will help you stay on an even-keel and ready for whatever your day throws at you. You’ll feel stronger, more resilient and more ready to embrace the challenges of motherhood. That’s why self-care is important. Self-care is vital for everybody in some shape or form. Arguably, mothers are the ones who might benefit most but make time for it least. Bringing up little humans is a 24X7 job so anything that helps equip us for that is vital. Yet, we often don’t have time, energy, freedom, the mindset, the self-compassion to make space for it. That’s why self-care in motherhood needs to be easy, without obstacles, kind to our schedules, bodies, hearts and minds and weave flexibly into the flow of our day. Here, I’m sharing some simple, but effective daily self-care ideas for mothers. Of all the tips I wished I’d known as a new working parent, this one would be it. Once the day gets going, many of us are busy and tied up doing ‘all the things’, which doesn’t leave much scope or opportunity for us. The simple trick of getting up a little early and creating a solid, supportive morning routine turned out to be my saving grace. I carved more time out of my day, got a head-start on that day and found a little time for ‘ME’. Fill that time with things that really make a difference to you. Maybe it’s time for self-care, getting ahead on a work project or writing a gratitude list or in your journal and seeing where your thoughts take you. This precious time will help get you in the right mood for a great day ahead! I don’t believe that making an effort to look good makes you shallow or self-centred. Looking good is different for everyone – some people choose to wear loads of make-up, others hate the stuff. When we think we look good we are most positive, confident, fun-loving, forward-thinking, resilient, strong and open to new opportunities. You remember that ‘YOU’ are important, not just as a parent, but that you have value as an individual Forgotten what you love to do? Perhaps you’re out of practice! Take a few minutes now to think back on what you used to enjoy when you had more time. Make a list and adapt it to suit your current life and time. Keep it somewhere safe so you can refer to it when you need some inspiration. Regular exercise doesn’t mean hitting the gym for an hour each day. Regular exercise means, to me at least, doing a little bit often to move your body in a way that feels comfortable for you. Exercise could be some gentle stretches or a yoga flow. There are plenty of options if you check out YouTube, which you can follow along with from home. Give yourself the care you need. Shruty Sharma, Rajpura.
