3029: How to Find Time For Yourself as a Busy Mom by Sheree With a Purpose Driven Mom on Self Care For Moms

[00:00:00] Kaffee in seiner besten Form Mit Qubo wird jeder Kaffee auf Knopfdruck zum Genussmoment. Denn mit der neuen Qubo One Kapselmaschine von Chibo genießt du feinsten Spitzenkaffee aus besonderen Anbaugebieten. Vollmundige Aromen dank innovativer Press-Brew-Technologie und über 17 Sorten Kaffee für jeden Geschmack. Erlebe Premium Kaffee schon ab 29 Euro. Entdecke jetzt die Qubo Kapselmaschinen in deiner Chibo Fiale und auf Chibo.de

[00:00:27] Meditieren, Yoga, Joggen, nichts entspannt mich. Echt? Mich entspannt meine Steuer total. Steuer? Wie Finanzamt? Die Steuererklärung? Ja, ich hab ganz locker über 1000 Euro zurückbekommen. Hast du geheime Connections? Nö, nur die Visu-Steuer-App. Wow! Und das ist einfach? Klar, die macht fast alles automatisch. Plötzlich fühle ich mich so entspannt. Hol dir dein Geld zurück. Tiefenentspannt mit Visu-Steuer.

[00:00:55] This is Optimal Relationships Daily. How to find time for yourself as a busy mom. By Cherie, with a PurposeDrivenMom.com. As a busy mom, it can be a real challenge to find time for yourself. I get it. And now with the summer here, it certainly seems as if the light at the end of the tunnel is farther than ever. Fret not. There are so many ways you can sneak in time for yourself throughout your days. How to get up early.

[00:01:24] The easiest, most obvious solution is to wake up earlier, before your children wake up. And tough as this may be, you don't need to wake up at the crack of dawn if you aren't a morning person. You can start by rising 15 minutes earlier, day by day, and each week increasing that time by 15 minute increments until you're able to get an hour in or more, or however much time you need. Should you invest in summer camp or activities for your kids?

[00:01:50] This option is obviously dependent on your finances, and may or may not be feasible for you in this season. But if it is, then this is something that you'll definitely want to consider. It'll easily give you three to six extra hours in your day. It's a win-win for everyone. You get your time, and your child gets to be educated and entertained in a safe environment. Do you need a babysitter? Many families have babysitters during the year when they're working full-time.

[00:02:17] However, we tend to take a break or cut this out completely in the summertime because of our work hours lessening or other reasons. If you can, I would suggest keeping your babysitter on call. Even an hour a week can make all the difference in giving you that self-care time that you need, and certainly deserve. Creating boundaries with your family I realize how forceful this sounds, but hear me out.

[00:02:41] Sometimes your spouses and family members truly don't realize the time you really need, yet don't receive. Despite how loving and caring they are, they may not see that you need your cup filled as much as anyone else, if not more. So, politely demand that you get some time to yourself. You can do this one of two ways, and only you will know which is the best solution, because it is based on your family members' temperaments and personalities.

[00:03:08] You either want to start big, in an effort to leave room for negotiation, or start small, in order to build a tolerance to this new idea and work your way up to more time. How to let go of mom guilt This is the part where you let go of any mom guilt that you're feeling, because that's none of your business. Feelings are fickle, and they lie to you on a daily basis.

[00:03:32] Instead, you need to tell your body, mind, and spirit how to feel, not the other way around. Don't allow preconceived notions or thoughts from your past experiences to dictate how you'll feel, how worthy you are of this time, whether you're worthy of relaxation or worthy of change. So, to give you a tangible example, you might say, Hey babe, I want slash need a weekend away to myself. Now, you will likely get one of a few responses.

[00:04:02] Yes No Or I need to know more. Okay? Let's talk about this, because that seems like a pretty daunting idea. The first and last responses are the ones we're looking for. Because the first response is ideal and amazing. The second response may lead to frustration or tough and heavy talks. And the last response is not a no. It's just proof that your spouse is feeling uncertainty and is beyond their comfort zone. You can work with this.

[00:04:31] At the very least, you'll be able to get a few hours away, if the weekend is a big ask for your significant other. Create an evening routine with your spouse. Now, this option is much like the first, waking up earlier. But for some reason, it might be easier for some moms to stay up later than it is to wake up earlier. For me, what helps is to drink coffee around 3 or 4 p.m. And it allows me to stay up all the way to midnight, sometimes 1 a.m.

[00:04:59] This option, despite it not being the best option, will give you a lot of hours to yourself, depending on when you put your children to bed. So, if your children are in bed at around 7.30 p.m., no later than 8 p.m., you can get 4 to 5 hours of time to yourself. Now, I know what you're thinking. When and how the heck am I supposed to spend time with my spouse? Touche. I understand. In this case, work out a schedule where you both agree on how many hours you'll spend together

[00:05:29] after the kids go to bed and what you will do during that time. It could look something like this. Your kiddos are in bed by 8 p.m. Spouse time together for the next 2 to 3 hours. This could be dinner and a movie, intimacy, a TV show, etc. You get the point. At this point, it's around 10 or 11 p.m. and you have anywhere between 1 to 3 hours for yourself. The Power of Distraction The Pomodoro Way If you aren't familiar with the Pomodoro technique, here's a quick sum up.

[00:05:59] It's a time management technique that breaks tasks up into 25 to 30 minute increments. This flash option tends to be my favorite option for a few reasons. If you have rambunctious children, kids that don't go to sleep early, kids that wake up at the crack of dawn or through all hours of the night, children who no longer nap, or kiddos with short attention spans, this technique will work like magic. And I call it the Power of Distraction.

[00:06:27] Please, don't discredit the power of creating a fun solo activity for your child to do on their own. You are, mostly, in total control. You can choose for this to be a messy or clean activity. The choice is yours. Let me give you a few different ideas here. But the main premise is to distract and engage your child long enough to give you about a half an hour to yourself. I know that you forget sometimes to fill your own cup. I also know you sometimes forget to fill your child's cup as well.

[00:06:57] The Pomodoro technique is an easy way to allow that to happen. Give 25 minutes to your children, and then 25 minutes for you. Continue alternating this as many times as you're willing and able. Here are some ideas to fill the next 25 minutes. 1. Give your kids some new stickers and journals and crayons or markers and fancy glitter pens from a dollar store near you. Purchasing all of this will probably cost around $5, and you get half an hour to yourself.

[00:07:27] Calculate that for a moment. If you're paying a low rate of $10 an hour for a babysitter, you're on the same road, friend, and your kids are safe, in your custody, having fun with random things that could essentially be used again and again. 2. If you are okay with a small mess, allow your kids to make slime. It's very easy. Or let them play with Play-Doh. 3. If you're feeling lazy, just purchase some slime or Play-Doh instead.

[00:07:56] Hop over to your nearest dollar store and find some new trinkets from the toy aisle. I know, I know, I have a thing for the dollar store. It's a hidden treasure. This is truly the tip of the iceberg here. The possibilities are seriously endless. Make Pinterest your best friend. Frequent the dollar store. Hunt for bargains and easy projects. You'll be good to go. You just listened to the post titled How to find time for yourself as a busy mom

[00:08:25] by Cherie with a purpose-driven mom.com Hey, it's Justin from Optimal Living Daily.

[00:08:50] Before we start, I want to share a super powerful practice I use called NSDR or Non-Sleep Deep Rest. In just about 10 minutes or so, this yoga nidra practice leaves you feeling as refreshed as after a nap without actually sleeping. Experience it for yourself on our guided podcast. Search NSDR and look for the one from Optimal Living Daily. And many thanks to Cherie for this one.

[00:09:17] She is a guest writer for Cara Harvey, who owns a purpose-driven mom.com, and that's a name you've probably heard before, if you've been listening for a little while. And I really enjoyed the many avenues she explored in this post. You know, when it comes to anything that seems impossible, like finding alone time as a parent, we often feel suppressed by the go-to narrative that it just can't be done. We might not explore our options when everyone around us is saying and always has said that it's just unrealistic.

[00:09:44] And if we do try to challenge that ideology, still it can be difficult to not feel like the naysayers have won, you know, when our first few efforts or ideas have come up short. So, it's really important to think about different strategies as Cherie did today. What can I do in the next 25 minutes? What role does my spouse play in this? What about the Pomodoro technique? Can a babysitter help? Great work from Cherie to help parents get unstuck when it comes to what feels like a near-impossible task.

[00:10:13] Okay, and that is going to do it for today, parents. But have no fear, there is going to be another Parenting Post tomorrow, as is tradition on Thursdays and Fridays. So tune in for that, and I hope to see you there. Where your optimal life awaits.