7 ways to find time for yourself

So it’s not a secret that I love coffee and that on most days, that’s what keeps me going… but the reality is that coffee can only get you so far until your body crashes. That’s why, carving out some “me time” to refresh and relax away from caring for my bunch of crazies is the true fuel that keeps me upbeat rather than beat up!

I know that the biggest struggle is finding the time, and not feeling guilty about it. I know many of us feel that mom guilt, feeling that taking time away from caring for our family to take care of ourselves is selfish – but really, is it? I don’t think so. I don’t have that ‘mom guilt’. I don’t feel guilty. At all. I am a firm believer that taking care of myself, and taking time for myself is the best way to take care of my bunch of crazies. If I am happy and in a good mood, so will they be. I find that my short-temper is not so short when I have had at least an hour to myself, to do something or just nothing.

So, here is 7 ways to find ‘me time’ while mommin’

Organize yourself. The first step in finding time for yourself is being organized, planning your meals ahead, thinking about your weekly activities, etc. Once you are able to organize your chaos and spread your household work, you will be able to find yourself in all that. Find what works for you, your family and your life situation.
Prioritize yourself. The second step is prioritizing yourself. Be your own #1. Guilt-free. You deserve it, and you know it. Take the time to get yourself ready, jump in that shower before everyone else, ask the dad for help in getting the kiddos ready. And so what if everything doesn’t go as planned, that’s life. Move on. Don’t worry, be happy.
Use their nap time wisely. Use their nap time as your ‘me time’. Don’t use this time to clean the house. Instead, I tidy up the house in like 10-15 minutes tops, and the rest… the rest is just for ME. Yes, me. I take this time to drink my HOT cup of coffee, do my manicure (because, yes, my manicure is always on point and I do it myself), flip through magazines (or you can read a book), put on my favorite Netflix show or sit out on the balcony. I do whatever I like during this time, and sometimes that means I do nothing. Meals… I don’t usually cook (won’t say ever) meals during this time… I leave that for other times, and maybe I’ll talk about that in a future blog post.
Make a weekly date with your best friend. Let the dad be the dad and play with the kiddos, while you get dolled up and meet your best friend for coffee once a week. Tuesdays are my date nights with my best friend, and it’s been like that since we were in college, so at least 10 years and we take this time for ourselves. Sometimes we just sit at Starbucks sipping on coffee and chatting until they close on us. Other times we go shopping, get our nails done, get massages, etc. you name it, we do it. This past Tuesday we picked up coffee, got our pedis done and did some shopping. It was perfect.
Take a walk by yourself. (or a run) We stop, drop and mom on daily basis. Some of us being stay at home moms while other’s working moms, nothing wrong with either…. but it can get overwhelming so, make it a point to take a 30-minute walk all by yourself to unwind, refresh and rethink. You will feel so much better about yourself. And, if you can’t find 30 minutes for a walk – find 30 minutes to sit outside on the porch while they nap or play, whatever it is mama, make it work.
Stick to bedtime. I know this can be tough too, but if you stick to bedtime for your kids you will have some extra time for yourself or with your partner. I love just having that extra couple of hours to myself, and sometimes together with my hubby. It’s our time.
It’s the little things that make us happy. For me, it’s picking up Starbucks, going to Target to pick up a new shade of nail polish, finding a steal of a deal on a new shirt and/or shoes, going for a short walk in the sunshine while freshly showered – dolled up – and – hair all done. It’s not what we have that makes us happy, it’s being able to find happiness in the little things.

It is so important that we take care of ourselves, and step off that ‘on-the-go-train’ and take time for ourselves. We just need to cut ourselves some slack, and realize that we are good moms, we are good at what we do and there is nobody better fit for that role. When I take time for myself, I think in a sense that I am taking care of myself so that I can take better care of my boys and further, I am doing this for my mental sanity and well being. I want to be around to see them grow, see them reach their milestones, see them achieve their goals, see them chase their dreams… I want to see them become men.

I realize that everyone’s situation is different. I realize that there are us – single moms, stay at home moms, working moms, multi-tasking moms…. but regardless, we all need to find ‘me time’ while taking care of our bunch of crazies. Figure out what works for you, but figure it out now. Not tomorrow. Not in five days. Now.

As always, much love..

xoxo, Vesna

Photo Credit: Anna Dujakovic