The Ultimate Guide to Self Care for Moms [+FREE Printable]

As a mom, you are always putting everyone else’s needs before your own.

Self care is so important for moms, and it’s not selfish to take some time out for yourself!

In fact, it can actually be beneficial for your family if you do.

No one wants to deal with the mom that is burnout and yelling because she is overly stressed out from the workload of motherhood and actual work!

Take it from me, as a mom of two toddler no kids, self-care is a NECESSITY!

Over at TAJ Things, we discuss all things self care for moms, because we know the importance of self care and how much it really does make a difference!

So, to help out all moms (new moms with a baby, busy moms, and working moms), we’ve made this ultimate guide to self care for moms!

In this ultimate guide, we’ll cover what is self-care, why it is important, how new moms can conduct self-care with a newborn baby, how busy moms can make time for self-care, and how to create a self-care schedule that works for your mom schedule. Yes, the whole shebang! Call it the starter package to self care for moms!

What is Self Care?

Before we dive deep into all things self-care, it’s important we go over the basics and get a clear understanding of all things Self care!

Self care is anything that you do intentionally to take care of your physical, mental, or emotional health.

Self care actually goes even deeper than just the three most common areas (physical, mental, and emotional), in fact, there are 8 types of self care!

We already covered three of them, the other 5 are Environment, Personal, Social, Financial, Spiritual, and Professional.

With so many areas of self care to keep up with, It’s important to find activities that work for you; helping you relax, recharge, and feel good in all aspects of your life!

If you are not sure exactly where to start and what your self care needs are, check out 7 Ways to Identify Your Self-Care Needs As a Mom!

Why is Self Care Important?

As a mom, you are always giving of yourself and your time.

But if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of anyone else.

Carving out some time for self care can help reduce stress, improve your mood, give you more energy, and even help you be a better mom!

If you don’t tend to yourself properly, you can feel run down, overwhelmed, and even resentful.

You don’t want to feel any of these as a mom! Not to even forget, the dreaded words, yes – mommy burnout

Self care can help prevent all of those negative feelings and help you feel like the best version of yourself!

Okay, so now that we know what self care is and why it is so important, let’s dive into self care for all moms, starting with Self care for my new mommies out there:

How New Moms Can Conduct Self Care

New moms often feel like they don’t have any time for themselves.

But there are plenty of ways to squeeze in some self care even with a newborn baby! Here are some quick and easy ways new moms can conduct self care:

Try taking a long shower or bath while your baby naps
Go outside for a walk or some fresh air while the baby is strapped to your chest in a carrier
Take ten minutes to just sit and relax with a cup of tea while your partner or a family member holds the baby.

Want to know more great ways to conduct self care as a new mom with a newborn baby?

Okay, busy moms, it’s your time to shine and learn how to incorporate self care into your busy mom schedule!

New moms, you might want to stick around because this is just the beginning of motherhood, and trust, it get’s really busy!

How Busy Moms and Working Moms Can Make Time For Self Care

If you’re a busy mom and or working mom who feels like she doesn’t have any time for herself, it’s time to get creative! <

Here are some realistic ways you can start incorporating self care into your tight schedule:

Try waking up half an hour early each day to have some peace and quiet before the rest of the house wakes up.
Use your lunch break at work (or during school pick-up/drop-off) to do something just for you.
And if all else fails, steal some moments here and there throughout the day for quick self-care activities like writing in a journal, stretching/exercising, listening to calming music, or reading a few pages of a book.

Want some more ideas on how to self care as a busy mom?

Without further ado, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty, it’s time to create a self-care schedule that works for you!

How to Create A Self Care Schedule That Works For You

One of the best ways to make sure you’re actually making time for self care is by scheduling it into your week.

his doesn’t mean that you need to block off hours each day – even just 30 minutes 3-5 times per week can make a big difference!

Plus, it’s important to be flexible – if something comes up and you need to reschedule your self care time or skip it altogether for one week, that’s totally okay. Just try not to let it become a habit.

Okay so you know self-care is important, and that you need to take time out to practice self care, but how often should you self care?

Daily, weekly, monthly?

I would recommend you start off weekly if you have a really busy schedule. Once or twice a week is optimal. If you feel like you need more time for yourself with the one or two days out of the week, then add more self-care time into your weekly schedule.

To get started creating your own self-care schedule, simply choose which days and times work best for you and then fill in what activities you’d like to do. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Monday: 7:00 am – Wake up early & enjoy some peace & quiet before the craziness of the day begins / 10:00 pm – Take a relaxing bubble bath before bed (don’t forget the Epsom salt)>
Tuesday: 12:00 pm – Go for a midday walk outside / 9:00 pm – Read 1-2 chapters of a book before bed
Wednesday: 6:00 pm – Enjoy dinner with your partner or family / 8:30 pm – Stretch/exercise for 20-30 minutes
Thursday: 7:00 am – Wake up early & enjoy some peace & quiet before the craziness of the day begins / 10:00 pm – Take a relaxing bath before bed.
Friday: 5:00 pm – Unwind with a glass of wine & watch your favorite TV show / 9:30 pm – Spend some quality time with your partner or spouse. <
Saturday: 10:00 am – Sleep in & enjoy a leisurely breakfast / 2:00 pm – Spend time doing something fun with your kids
Sunday: 11:00 am – Make yourself a special treat like pancakes or waffles / 7:30 pm – Have an earlier bedtime & wind down with some relaxation techniques.

Closing Remarks- The Self Care Schedule All Moms Need

Taking care of yourself as a mom is so important!
But sometimes it can be tough to find the time or know where to start.

We hope this guide has given you some inspiration and helped get you started on creating YOUR perfect self care routine!

Remember self-care looks different for everyone so don’t be afraid to experiment until you find what works best for YOU!

And don’t forget to download myFREE printable self care schedule template> to help you get started! 🙂

If you love to learn more about self care, and how to live a more comfortable and organized mom life, check out our blog, TAJ Things, where we talk about all things motherhood!