Attention All Mothers: 4 Tips on Taking Care of Yourself

Photo Credit: Mia Clapp, www.clappstudios.com

Photo Credit: Mia Clapp

Last weekend I had an opportunity to attend a retreat just for moms by Mia Redrick. The purpose of the retreat was to force moms to do something most of us rarely ever do: take time out for ourselves and make ourselves a priority. Some people may think they make themselves a priority, but they really don’t. Can you think of ten things you love to do — without the kids or spouse? When was the last time you truly did something because YOU wanted to do it? When was the last time you added yourself to your own calendar? Do you even remember the person you were before you became a mom? Or have you become a victim of identity theft due to motherhood?

There are so many reasons or excuses we make as to why we can’t find even 15 minutes in a day to pour love into ourselves as mothers. Most of the time we either feel that self-care equals selfishness, or that we have guilt around anything that doesn’t revolve around our children. I’ve told my story about losing myself in motherhood, and that’s when I realized that I hardly ever put myself on my own list of priorities once I became a mom. I had to learn and understand the importance of self-care, the importance of learning how to FLY (first love yourself). Self-care is not something that has to be a grand, elaborate ordeal. It doesn’t even have to be something that costs you money. This retreat was all about learning ritualistic self-care: it’s strategic, meaning you take time to do something for yourself every single day (read, write, exercise, bike, craft, etc.).

There were moms from all walks of life that attended — single moms, married moms, divorced moms — all with the same common goal: to pour some love back into ourselves so that we could return home and be more loving for our families. Many people made sacrifices to be there, one mom even came straight from her dialysis treatment (that she has to go to three times a week) because she understood that she needed to do this for herself. Taking time to love and care for yourself is the best gift you can give your child. Why? Because when we are more relaxed, nurtured, and loved, we can then give that to our children. We can’t give them what we don’t have, which is often times what we try to do.

There were a few key areas that were talked about in order for us to adapt, and take home to incorporate into our own lives.

Photo Credit: Mia Clapp

A quick photo opp after our belly dancing session. Photo Credit: Mia Clapp

Build your own community: A while back I did an interview with Kym Whitley and she talked about how she had to rally her friends and create her own village when she decided to adopt her son. She knew that as a single mom, she was going to need the support and assistance of her close friends. This idea continued to be addressed throughout the weekend. If you’re a single mom or just don’t have the support of family members close by so that you can take an occasional mommy break, how can you build your own village? Every mom needs her own village.

Overcome the excuses: Taking care of yourself as a mom is vital to the well-being of our children. Stop making time, money or lack of resources a reason as to why you don’t invest in yourself physically, emotionally or spiritually. While times are hard on everyone right now, there are still ways that you can take time to love yourself. You may not have money to hire a baby sitter. But can you swap services with another mom so that you can go for a walk by yourself, or just have a few hours of peace and quiet in the house by yourself? This goes back to building your own community. Look around for free events that you can attend, and utilize discount deal sites like Groupon and Living Social for steep discounts on activities to pamper yourself.

Check out my last two tips by clicking here: Attention Moms: 4 Tips on Taking Care of Yourself

Photo credit: Mia Clapp

Taking a quick pic with the amazing Mia Redrick. Photo credit: Mia Clapp

 

This retreat was powerful because it reiterated just how essential it is for me, as a mom to practice ritualistic self-care. Yes, it can be challenging at first. But with the right community and systems in place, it is definitely doable and should be non-negotiable. There is nothing selfish about making time to focus on ourselves when it can only make us a better mother for our children.

Do you take time out pour love into yourself? What are some challenges you have around that?

 

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6 Comments

  • Martine Foreman
    November 9, 2013 at 2:49 PM

    Great post. I wish I could have been at the retreat. Lord knows I needed it. I am so glad you were able to go and share this great insight. You know, since I moved to Maryland from NJ, I have never taken the time to build a community. I just got caught up with life. This post reminds me of how important that is. Thank you!!!!

    • Christine St.Vil
      November 25, 2013 at 4:08 AM

      Hey Martine! Thank you so much! I’m sorry you missed out this time, but there will definitely be another one next year, so save the date 🙂 Even though my family is only an hour away, that hour is far when you have an emergency that needs to be taken care of (like when I had to take my son to the ER in the middle of the night and hubby was at work). So having my own community to call on during times like that has really been essential and definitely gives me a peace of mind.

  • Erica Gordon
    November 13, 2013 at 1:42 PM

    This is a great reminder of the wonderful experience we had at the retreat, Christine! Moms everywhere should really take more time for themselves because it truly does benefit everyone.

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