Easy, yet effective, simple self-care practices that require little time
Have you ever been too tired to even be tired?
Sounds exhausting right? Yeah, I know. Sadly, this is oftentimes the working mom’s reality. Between juggling family responsibilities, work, business, and other priorities, finding time for selfcare seems non-existent.
Have you experienced days such as this? Leave me a comment if you can relate…
In a recent blog, I shared my simple three step planning process that I leverage when I am overwhelmed and overworked. I will link it at the end of this blog post if you haven’t already checked it out. Today I’m back with another simple three step system. This time the focus is on selfcare.
Self-care is essential for working moms, It is a great way to remain:
- Grounded
- At peace
- Calm
- Stress free
Here’s my simple three step selfcare process that’s helpful on days when I am too overwhelmed and overworked to do anything extravagant. Let me also admit that I have not completely mastered selfcare. I’m still a work in progress when it comes to stress management and ensuring that I keep myself on the priority list. But when I’m running on all cylinders trying to be a super mom, here are my top three simple self-care practices that require little time.
1 – Retreat to my Quiet Zone for simple self-care
My closet is my quiet zone. It is my hiding space that my kids know about, but equally respect. I got the idea of using my closet as my prayer closet (now it also functions as my quiet zone) after watching the movie War Room starring Priscilla Shirer of Going Beyond Ministries. It’s a great movie if you haven’t watched it already. Priscilla also has an amazing book “Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer” that I’m reading. It pulls inspiration from the movie War Room.
I encourage you to find a space that is closed off (or semi-closed off), where you can retreat to when you need some alone time to reflect and pray.
Addressing Quiet Zone Mom Guilt:
I will be the first to admit that I had mom guilt at first about creating my quiet zone. I felt like I was “running away from my kids” and being some sort of bad mom. It took some time for me to establish boundaries with my kids and to get them to a place of understanding. At the end of the day, I function better for myself and for them after my quiet time and prayer time in my quiet zone… better known as my War Room.
If you experience mom guilt about taking time for yourself, I encourage you to think about the benefits. Trust me to pro’s of selfcare outweighs temporary feelings of mom guilt.
2 – Breathing as simple selfcare
Deep breathing has been a total game changer for me. I recently took advantage of some wellness coaching through my company’s Employee Assistance Program, and my counselor was fantastic. Together we brainstormed simple and effective self-care practices that I could implement on the fly. Breathing exercises were the number one option we agreed upon.
She suggested something called the 4 x 4 technique. I’ve recently learned it’s also called Square Breathing or the 4 x 4 Box Method. This technique is the easiest one for beginners and doesn’t require a lot of experience. The cadence for this technique is to inhale, pause, exhale, pause again. Yes, it’s that simple.
I found a helpful post on the LiveStrong Website that talks more about this technique and its benefits.
Implementation Tip:
Try your favorite breathing exercise after getting off of a stressful meeting. Take some time to breathe before you start a new task or hop on to another meeting. This is a great way to reduce stress and to level set your mind and body before moving on with your day.
3 – Smiling as simple self-care
You can de-stress with a smile! Making it a ridiculously easy selfcare practice to add to your day. To me, I feel like smiling tells your mind that you are joyful and, in turn, helps your body to relax.
How to force a smile
Try this simple exercise. Think about something that brings you joy. Did you just smile?
I encourage you to take some time throughout the day to reflect on what brings you joy and smile.
Implementation Inspiration:
“Think about such things” – Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
In summary, my top three easy, yet effective, simple self-care practices that require little time include: retreating to a quiet zone, 4 x 4 breathing, and smiling! I hope that you will try these super simple and ridiculously easy self-care practices the next time you feel like you don’t have enough time to squeeze in any selfcare. Report back and let me know how it worked for you.
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