Hey gorgeous!

Do you sometimes feel like you are running empty even before your 24 hours is over? Kids are driving you nuts at home but you can never find time for yourself?

I hear you! I have been there, and your struggle is every mom’s struggle. But when we make that decision to just step back, slow down, and really commit to carving out time for our own well-being, we can be a better mom, sister, daughter, wife, and friend.

When I became more intentional with looking after myself first before anything else, I felt less frazzled, less burnt-out, and in a way, more productive. And I want that for you too, so I’m sharing 3 WAYS for you to start devoting much-deserved time for you.

3 SIMPLE WAYS TO FIND TIME FOR YOU

1. Start with 10 minutes.

Let’s simplify self-care. Self-care doesn’t have to be about lavish holidays or a full 3 hours at the spa, although that does sound pretty enticing! But if you don’t have the luxury of time, find something that you can do without having to leave the house. How about taking some quiet time before kids wake up or while they nap to read a book, or listen to your favorite music, or even make yourself a cup of tea?

Honor that 10 minutes. Just for you. It may not sound like a lot of time, but trust me, it can fill your love cup if done daily. And oh, try not to grab your phone while you’re at it. When we start reading emails, and messages from other people, that takes time away from us and it’s a rabbit hole we don’t want to get into.

2. Ask for help.

Ask a friend to look after your kids while you and your husband have a date night, or if you can hire a babysitter, then why not. For me, it meant talking to my husband about options to have my little boy attend childcare a few days a week so that gives me some ‘alone’ time while he also meets other kids. On other times, it meant for my husband to look after Theo while I have a day or night-out with my girl friends.

Wanting to spend time away from our kids doesn’t mean we love them less. First of all, it’s helpful for their social development skills to be meeting other kids and adults, apart from just us. And second, you also need adult conversations!

Asking for help could also mean talking with that next-door mom, or your girl friend from back home. Share your struggles and your joys. Or just simply talk to them. You never know, you might get some ideas just from one conversation.

3. Be unapologetic about self-care.

Start setting boundaries for yourself and flex the ‘no’ muscle when certain things don’t uplift you or serve you. Stop the guilt-tripping and believe in your heart that you deserve to feel good. Got dirty dishes on the sink? Or piling laundry? Endless to-dos on your list? Leave the chores and to-dos out if you feel exhausted.

Slow down. REST, if your body tells you to. Take a power nap. We probably have underestimated the power of a mid-day nap which is also physiologically helpful for our bodies to recharge.

And remember, how clean or messy your house looks doesn’t define who you are as a mother. Period. I’ve actually got both of those as I’m writing this blog, but my heart tells me that speaking to you right now is much better for my soul!

How clean or messy your house looks doesn’t define who you are as a mother. Period.

@Fitfoodiemommy

As what one of my favorite spiritual educator Gabrielle Bernstein teaches, ‘I am worthy of feeling good.’ Repeat that over and over again, until you start to believe it.

There you have it my dear, the 3 simple ways to find time for yourself that you can start doing today. These have personally helped me as well especially when I transitioned to becoming a work-at-home mom. Even if you’re not a parent, you are still worth of feeling good and finding time for yourself. Because when you fill your cup, you serve others better with that overflow.

If you need some more ideas on how to practice self-care daily, I shared in this blog post some of my go-to ways.

Now your turn, tell me how do you find time for yourself even if you’re short of time? Share your ideas and tips below! I would love to learn from you too.

Sending you light & love,