Conquering Mom Guilt: 7 Simple Self-Care Habits for Moms

When was the last time you spent a few minutes of pampering, privacy, or pleasure on yourself, that you didn’t end up sabotaging by your own thoughts and feelings?

That’s called mom guilt.

Moms are really good at putting wind under everyone else’s wings… but also good at neglecting their own.

Of course, it feels amazing to help others, especially your own kids.

But what about feeling good when helping yourself?

Not only do you feel guilt when you do something good for yourself, but you take it a step further and start to believe you don’t deserve it.

So, over time, you stop feeling pleasure and enjoyment when you do something good for yourself. And that’s messed up!

Do you remember when you first started to be ok with neglecting your self-care habits?

Most likely, it happened so slowly that you didn’t even notice it.

When the budget is stretched to the limit every month, it’s hard to justify applying some self-care practices that take a few dollars. I get it.

Running the kids around each day while the clock keeps spinning faster, redefines self-care habits as a luxury.

Feeling overwhelmed by the to-do list, errands, appointments, and what you’re making for dinner… sucks every last drop of energy out of you.

So, self-care dissolves into a pipe dream.

At least that’s what I believed.

And that’s when bad things start to happen.

Do you know what mom guilt does?

It makes you forgot how special you are, and that you deserve to have your needs and wants met just as much as everyone else does.

And that’s really sad.

But I let that happen to me.

Here’s the truth:

You are a one-of-a-kind, made to order masterpiece, whose needs and wants rank just as high as everyone else’s do.

If self-neglect goes too far, I promise you the price you’ll pay won’t be worth it.

Don’t let guilt keep you from taking care of yourself even in the most basic things like eating healthy food, keeping up with your personal hygiene, and protecting your precious sleep.

And don’t let guilt put a damper on your marriage relationship’s needs and wants, either.

You’ll end up with broken pieces of life everywhere.

Moms need to be careful to not fall into mom guilt traps by believing:

• You don’t need to regularly practice self-care habits.
• You’re okay with focusing all your energy on the kids.
• You don’t have time or money to use for self-care practices.
• You don’t deserve it.

All of those traps are ridiculous and sadly I believed in all of them.

I didn’t know I was silently imploding inside and had no clue that conquering mom guilt would fix it.

Using a few self-care habits will help you ease back into nurturing yourself.

7 Simple self-care habits for conquering mom guilt:

#1- Wash your face and feet before going to bed- it’s a nurturing ritual that washes the day away and clears your body, soul, and spirit, for a good night’s rest.

#2- Say something nice- Make sure the first and last words of the day are positive. “I sure do love you,” or “Happy Monday,” are good ones! Remember to be intentional about what your brain thinks and the words that actually come out of your mouth.

#3- Make something healthy to eat or drink- Taking care of your physical needs also boosts your emotional well-being at the same time. Change it up and try a few new things all through the week with your eating habits, exercise, sleep, and rest.

#4- Affirm your intentions for the goals you are working on- Remind yourself of the progress you’ve made toward your goals so far and decide what you’re going to do today to take one step closer to reaching them.

#5- Take a bathroom break- Let your family know you’re going to take a few minutes for yourself. Enjoy a bath, style your hair, paint your nails, or just shower without anyone “bugging” you.

#6- Play music- It’s easier to whirl through your day by enjoying some of your favorite tunes. Find the instrumental versions of your faves and make a playlist for background music.

#7- Put drama in a box and shut the lid- Put a box outside your door that has a lid. Whenever you arrive home, metaphorically throw any and all drama into the box and close the lid and leave it on the porch. Keep toxic influences and energy outside your home.

Once you start practicing self-care habits again, you’ll see what you’ve been missing… your sense of wellbeing will grow, and the feeling of mom guilt will disappear.

You deserve it and you need it!