Hey momma. Are you completely exhausted? Feeling run down or on your last leg? If so, this 7 Day Self Care for Moms Challenge is for YOU!
Let’s be real, setting time aside for self care as a mom is almost impossible. We’re constantly caring for everyone else in our family that we often have little time for ourselves. But there is a reason I saw “almost” impossible. Self care for moms is not an impossible task if we take the time for it.
Today I offer you a challenge momma! The 7 days of practical self care for moms challenge.
This challenge is a way to reset and spend a little more time on YOU. Whether you believe it or not, you definitely deserve it.
Here’s how the Self Care for Moms Challenge works.
First, grab this printable checklist to track your self care for the week.
Next, look over these practical ways that moms can practice self care below. I say practical because, as a mom, I do realize how hard it can be to do something for ourselves. Check out the different ways to practice self care for busy moms below!
Now, choose at least 4 different things each day to complete! If you can complete ALL 8, DO IT! In an ideal world, the challenge would be to complete all 8 for all 7 days, but realistically, that’s asking a lot.
As you complete the self care tasks, check off the boxes on your Self Care checklist printable. By the end of the week, you should have at least 4 checks in each column. (Aim for more if you can!)
Now let’s take a look at the 8 types of self care for the challenge and how you can make it happen!
Types of Self Care for Moms
There are tons of different ways to practice self care. If you’re looking for ideas, be sure to check out these quick and easy self care ideas for moms!
The types of self care below are the ones I selected for the challenge, but feel free to change one to make it work better for you. The challenge is all about YOU after all!
1. Take a relaxing bath or shower.
Make your time in the bath or shower is your “me time”. Unwind in the hot water and let it wash away your stress and anxiety. To make this time even better try one or more of these during your bath or shower:
- put on a face mask to brighten your skin
- deep condition your hair
- add a bath bomb or shower steamer
- use a body scrub
- put Epsom salts in the tub to relax your muscles
- take time to sit back and read or listen to a podcast
- drink a glass of wine or eat a piece of chocolate
Whatever works for you to truly let yourself decompress.
2. Practice meditation, gratitude or yoga.
This is an opportunity to open your mind and let go. Release the heaviness on your heart and reflect on the positive in life. Whichever way you can relate to best.
Meditation: This can be done on your own or you can use a guided meditation via an app or youtube.
Gratitude: Create a gratitude journal noting different things you are grateful for in your life. It can be a list or journaling about something different every day. There are also premade gratitude journals with prompts if that is something you would enjoy!
Yoga: A mind/body experience that allows you to release tension and find the happiness in your soul.
3. Work towards a passion or hobby.
Think about your hobbies. As a mom, we immediately think about driving our kids around, getting our kids snacks, making sure our kids are okay, and so much more for them. But what is YOUR hobby?
It can be anything.
Maybe something fitness related if you love to run or find a group fitness class you love.
It could be gardening and working in your yard.
Crafting or creating whatever type of project that may be.
Just find a hobby that you want to enjoy or pick one back up that you haven’t done much of lately. Not sure what to do? Take a look at this list of hobbies for moms and maybe something will speak to you!
4. Spend time with a friend.
Time with friends is good for the soul.
Set aside some time with a friend whether it’s in person, via video call or on the phone. It may be hard meetup for lunch or coffee, but what about a park play date with the kids? Or a call to a friend when you’re in the car. You could meet at the gym and workout together or go for a walk. There are so many ways to connect, and adult interaction is vitals for mommas. Especially if you stay at home!
5. Move your body.
This is my favorite. Get up and move! 30 minutes a day is all it takes.
Go for a walk, run or bike ride. Find an online class or challenge that your drawn to. Perhaps there is a class at the gym you’ve been wanting to try?
Just do it!
Physical activity isn’t only good for you body, but good for your soul too. In the words of Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy.” It’s true. You feel so much better when you get your heart rate up and move.
Check out my arsenal of at home workouts (I’m a NASM certified personal trainer) to try if you’re looking for something new! My Spell Your Name and UNO workouts are bit hits since they make working out more of a game than a chore!
6. Spend time outside.
Being outside in the fresh air does amazing things for your mind, body and soul. Let’s take a look. Time outside:
- lowers your blood pressure and reduces stress.
- improves your mood.
- boosts your energy.
- improves your vision.
- enhances creativity.
- makes it easier to exercise.
- boosts your immune system.
These are all true, so spend a little time outside every day! Even if it’s too hot or too cold, find a way to get out there for just a little bit.
7. Treat yourself.
Big or small, treat yourself. Have you seen the Parks and Rec episode where Tom and Donna have a “Treat Yo Self” Day? (If not, I highly recommend it.) It’s time to take their advice and just Treat Yo Self!
You deserve it. It doesn’t have to be grand, but treat yourself to something special.
Maybe you want to go bit and treat yourself to a massage, pedicure or new outfit.
It can also be something small like indulging in a bowl of ice cream, taking time to do a face mask or paint your nails, or even take a nap!
Here’s a list of 30 ways to treat yourself in case you need to spark some ideas!
8. Get more sleep.
Oddly, this is probably the most difficult form of self care for people to accomplish. It should be easy for an exhausted momma to climb into bed earlier and get a good night sleep. Alas, I realize it is not that easy.
That means you need to avoid bedtime procrastination!
As a mom who loves and cherishes her own bedtime, here are my top tips for avoiding bedtime procrastination to get to sleep earlier.
- Create a nighttime routine. Doing the same thing every night before bed will help you fall into a habit of getting to bed earlier.
- Clean up the kitchen right after dinner so you don’t have to worry about it later.
- Designate a time to wind down. Sit on the couch, watch a show or read. I recommend 30 min to an hour. Dim the lights during this time to signal your body to start becoming tired.
- Have your phone alert you 30 and 15 minutes before bedtime. Use the 15 min alarm to get into pjs, brush your teeth, wash your face, etc.
- Once in bed, don’t pick up your phone! Stop the endless scrolling and leave it on your night stand or in a different room.
Remember to make the change gradual! If you’re going to be at 11pm, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier and work your way towards that 10pm bedtime!
Get started with your Self Care for Moms Challenge TODAY!
It’s easy, grab your free printable and start checking the boxes. See how many you can get in a day. If 4 different types of self care doesn’t seem like enough, shoot for more!
If it seems like too much, remember that you can knock out two birds with one stone. For example, going for a walk or run outside checks two. Or better yet, go for a walk outside with a friend. Just like that, you’ve completed 3 different types of self care in one!
Focusing on yourself is just as important as focusing on others! You can’t pour from an empty cup, so fill yours up to continue being the best version of yourself.
Get even more free printables from my VIP printable library too!
Pin this to your Motherhood or Self Care board on Pinterest to spread the word for all mommas! I’d love for you to follow along with me on Pinterest for more mom tips.
Which of these daily self care practices do you think you’d be most likely to accomplish?
These are great practical self care options for busy mamas. There’s only so much time in a day and by the end of it we have nothing left for ourselves sometimes. These are doable and an easy pick me up.
I’m gonna head upstairs for a nice shower and actually take the time to deep condition my hair today! Thanks for the encouragement 🙂
Sometime we have to remind ourselves that self care isnt selfish, it’s a necessity.
Exactly! Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s easy, as a mother, to get lost in our kids and their lives. But we must remember who we are as people as well. We can’t give all of ourselves to them if we put nothing into ourselves!
Practicing self-care is essential for taking care of ourselves.
I love this! Self-care is so important, but it’s the first thing to go when we get busy. Exercise makes me feel so good, but I don’t do it as often as I should. Thanks for sharing.