Self-care for Working Moms
As busy, working moms, we all know we need to find some time to take care of ourselves too. But that care can come in different forms. It can mean eating healthy foods regularly, going to bed on time, and basic self-hygiene.
Arguably equally as important though, it means understanding what lights us up and prioritizing those activities in our daily and weekly lives. Genuine self-care that goes beyond the must-haves to keep us sane and functioning can be as simple as a cup of tea before bed or more intensive, like a list of cozy hobbies and projects or a master gardening and canning/preserving plan.
Whatever makes you feel like yourself - that's what needs to be in your life every day. Yes, even as a working mom managing toddler tantrums, bedtime routines, and everything in between.
Try out these tips for prioritizing your self-care as a busy, working mom, and notice how you feel over time as you begin to integrate the things that matter to you as a person into your daily life.
This article is inspired by Brett Larkin's Yoga for Self Mastery course.
Tips for Prioritizing Self-care as a Busy, Working Mom
Understand the activities that genuinely soothe and nurture you.
Self-awareness is a key concept in the yoga sutras that can help us understand our daily lives and actions compared to the way our true selves would approach our daily lives and actions. We uncover how this concept applies to motherhood in my last article, "The Yogic Concept of Self-awareness in Motherhood."
The key takeaway is this: you need to reflect on the activities that bring you closer to yourself. What really makes you feel content day to day? These activities can be small, daily rituals or bigger ticket items that only happen once per week or month.
It make take experimentation to remember and settle on these activities. But, it's critical you practice self-awareness in this way so you can pinpoint what needs to shift each day to bring yourself into greater alignment with your true nature.
Give yourself easy access to self-care rituals.
Once you have a clearer idea of your personal soothing self-care rituals, it's time to integrate them into your life. Identify what you need for your self-care and ensure it's readily available, not tucked away in a room with a door that's always closed or put up in a cabinet.
I love having a project basket for my cozy craft hobbies and projects, a daily self-care ritual that fuels me. I'm on the thrift hunt for a larger one that fits every work-in-progress, but for now, a small basket with my crochet blanket project and another with my sashiko mending has alone brought me so much joy. Combined with the acts of actually crocheting and mending, I fill my cup little by little each day.
Other examples include keeping your current read next to your bed for easy bedtime reading, displaying your matcha chawan for quick access each morning, or putting your favorite skincare ritual item on subscription so you never run out.
Whatever self-care rituals you want to bring back into your life, gift yourself the ease of visibility and access to that ritual so it doesn't shift to the back burner.
Build a rhythm around your self-care needs.
As hectic as life can get as a working mom, creating routine and rhythm in your day to day is crucial. Those routines may automatically fall into a pattern of rushing and stress, but with intentionality, they can shift to calming, nurturing, and supportive for the entire family.
When it comes to those self-care rituals, building a rhythm around when you tap into them is just as important. Are you putting the kettle on the stove for a hot cup of tea as soon as the kids' bedtime routine is over? Or are you grabbing your cozy hobby project basket when the kids want to play outside for a bit? Maybe it's even as simple as going to bed 30 minutes earlier so you can wake to watch the sunrise.
Rhythms are habitual and they take time to integrate in a way that feels like second nature. As you start to engage more with your soothing self-care rituals, explore rhythms that might work for those activities and be persistent when you find one that feels particularly grounding. Before long, it'll feel strange not to lean into your self-care.
Integrate your kids into self-care activities.
It can be so easy to make your kids an excuse when it comes to self-care for the working mom. Before you go down that road, stop and consider how they might be involved your self-care activities in a way that doesn't detract from the benefit you receive personally.
My son loves to help me make my matcha. He knows it brings me joy every day. Whether he is in his toddler tower practicing with the matcha whisk or noticing that I left my mug in the kitchen when I walked to the bedroom, he is often part of that daily self-care ritual for me. The same goes for baking and crafting, activities we can work on together or parallel to one another, respectively.
As a parent, there is something deeply satisfying about modeling the healthy habit of exploring and embracing the things that make you genuinely feel like you. Sharing those activities with your kids also gives them permission to explore those rituals for themselves. If mama crochets because she loves working with her hands, mends because she values caring for her belongings, and bakes because she adores her husband's reaction every single time, then the kids can define what matters to them and lean into their favorite activities, too.
Yoga, Nature, and Slow Living for Busy Moms
The online yoga studio for busy, working moms seeking a slower way of life offers monthly pre-recorded yoga and meditation you can use to sink into a slower pace, plus a slow down framework where you can restructure your most overwhelming challenges into peaceful, rhythmic routines that support you and your family.
Two-minute Reset Meditations for Routine Calm Days includes ten completely free two-minute meditations for you to capture a moment of calm right now, without spending an hour at the yoga studio or taking paid leave.
The Mama Naturalist on my website and Substack is a space where I share both conceptual and practical guidance on slowing down, connecting to nature, and living seasonally.
Mindful Moms Digest offers exclusive yoga and meditation classes, nature stories from a wildlife biologist (me!), and free, supportive resources including links back to every blog post for busy, working moms journeying toward a slower, more seasonal way of life.
Cultivate Calm Mornings is a structured series of three yoga workshops that supports you in transforming your morning routine from chaotic to calm.
