16 Ways for Working Homeschool Mamas to Schedule In Self-Care

Did you know? Ignoring our own needs backfires in the end. Here are 16 ways to schedule in self-care for yourself so you can care for your family.

Self-care is important. I’m excited to have Leah Massey from Our Habitat Home as a guest to share her tips on taking care of you as a working mom.

You can’t give when your tank is empty, Mama.  Here’s how to fit self-care into your busy life today for happier tomorrows.

How To Schedule In Self-Care As A Working Homeschool Mom

Even by it itself, homeschooling is tough work.  The formula seems simple enough — plan, schedule, execute, repeat — but in reality, it can reduce itself to a daily grind. 

That’s on top of the daily grind you may already have — your secular job. Add in caring for your family and home, and what you’re left with is an incredibly full plate with no room for what may feel like unnecessary dessert — time for yourself.

Self-care is not some guilty extravagance.  On the contrary!  It’s the key to successfully caring for your family with love and positivity.

You know what’s ridiculous?  We women tend to sap our own energy with self-inflicted guilt.

Self-care Activities For Working Homeschool Moms

Can you imagine if we replaced all that time and energy spent feeling guilty over caring for ourselves with actually caring for ourselves? 

We’d be twice as refreshed in half the time.  And the entire family would be better for it.

My goal today is to show you that it’s not only essential to make time for refocusing and refreshing yourself but that it’s possible to experience the benefits of self-care in as little as five minutes. 

I’ve put together a list of ideas of different ways to top off your tank. They range from 5 minutes to half a day — so time will never be an excuse for not taking care of yourself. 

Are you ready to be inspired?  Let’s jump in!

The 5 Minute Pick-Me-Up

When all you have is five minutes, your goal is to make every second count.  Commit yourself fully to the moment. Don’t be self-conscious about what anyone else thinks.  Revel in feeling with all of your senses.  Push everything else aside — the task you just finished and whatever is up next.  Prepare your mind for a short break that will leave you mentally refreshed. 

Here are a few possibilities to try out:

Music break:

Do you know those songs that you can’t help but dance to?  Get one of those songs, play it loudly and dance like nobody’s watching! 

Enjoy the feeling of singing and moving your body.  Feel the emotion of the song.  It’s cathartic.

Fresh air:

Step outside. Alone. 

Feel the moment.  No matter the weather.  Feel the sun or rain on your skin.  Smell the wind. Listen to the birds. Use all your senses.

Nature has a healing quality that rejuvenates us.

Beautiful beverage:

Enjoy the sensory experience of your beverage. 

Notice the comforting heft of the warm mug in your hands.  Enjoy the refreshing clink of ice cubes against your glass.  Taste the ripe sweetness of fruit flavoring your water.

Don’t just drink the drink — experience your beverage!

Stretch:

Connect your mind and body with a slow, deep stretch.  Exhale not only your breath but also your internal chaos.  

Use your inhale to focus completely on how you feel in this moment.  
With each exhale, release intrusive thoughts and stretch out your tense muscles.  Allow each inhale to deliver needed oxygen and internal peace.

Remember, for these few minutes, your focus is 100% on your senses.  
When your time is up, take a deep breath, smile and get ready to throw yourself into the next task. 

If you commit fully to this time, you can regroup, refocus and refresh yourself in just five minutes!

The 15 Minute Refresh

Fifteen minutes gives you slightly more time to decompress, but not enough time to get into a project. 

Take a few minutes of self-focused reflection to prepare your mind for what is to come.  Build off of the emotional catharsis in the 5 Minute Pick-me-Up, but this time with a specific purpose in mind. Find a theme you can focus on. 

You could start with one of these ideas:

Doodle

Set aside your serious self and let your silly side out!  Forget all expectations of what art “should” look like and set your imagination free. 

Choose a nonsensical subject like animals in clothes or plants with faces. Have at it!  Or remove all notions of form and just let your pen meander across the page.

Disconnect your brain from everything other than the feel of the paper against your hand, the smell of the freshly sharpened pencil, the sound of a marker on a pad.  Your results don’t matter a whit.  Devoting your mind  to doodling rests your mind and ignites your creativity.

Snuggle up

If the physical connection is what your psyche needs, this is a perfect amount of time for a quick boost.  Grab one of your kids or a pet and curl up for a snuggle.

Devote your entire attention to them.  Feel your pet’s warm breath, your child’s smooth little face, the pleasing reassurance of another heartbeat against your own.  Breathe in their scent and let it fill you up.

Use your green thumb

Plants breathe life into our homes, offices, and selves.  Use this time to water, pinch back and talk to your plants. 

Physically touching the leaves and smelling the damp soil ties us to the earth in a grounding way.  Connecting with all that green goodness with purpose will leave you calmer and smiling.

Primp

If you work at home, this is easy to neglect.  Washing your face, brushing your hair and putting on a touch of lip gloss delivers a mental punch. 

You’ll feel more put together physically which translates to your frame of mind. Get yourself gussied up, take a deep breath and smile — you’re ready for anything!

Remember, you want to use this time to restore mental and emotional balance.

Fifteen minutes is enough time to choose what you need to feel happy, take action and regroup. 

When your time is up, breathe deeply, reflect on the joy you just experienced, and shift gears back into work mode.

The 30 Minute Relaxation Reboot

Thirty minutes is an amount of time with flexible possibilities.  

Choose an activity that will leave you feeling relaxed and put back together.  What you choose to do will be dictated by your frame of mind.

Here are some ideas to fit a wide range of moods:

Cat nap

Fatigue is the enemy of happiness and productivity.  A scheduled, guilt-free nap is just what you need to restore your mind and body.  Set a timer for 25 minutes, get comfy and settle down. 

Remind yourself that this is not laziness, and be determined to fully let go when you close your eyes.  

Breathe slowly and deeply and let your mind go.  Whether you sleep or not is irrelevant — the rest will do you good.  When your timer goes off, take those five minutes to stretch and ease back into your day.

Podcast and a walk

Physical movement paired with mental stimulation can really make your day.  Download a podcast that you gets you thinking, laughing (or both!) and hit the road.

The movement will gear up your body and the podcast will wake up your mind.  Make sure you allow five minutes at the end to stretch and take a few centering breaths.

Use these podcast and audio tools to help you get started.

Book break

Grab a book from your “someday I want to read this” stack.  Thirty minutes gives you enough time to light a candle, make a cup of coffee and read a chapter in one of those books you never get around to reading. 

Release your mind from spiraling around your to-do lists and get fully into your book.  The world will survive for half an hour while you refresh yourself.

Daydream

Letting your imagination loose frees up your mind to pursue fun ideas.  You could imagine a vacation you’d like to take or mentally re-decorate a room in your home.  Just be creative and let your imagination take you to interesting places! 

When you give your mind time to explore without practical demands, that creativity shows up in your work and family.

Thirty minutes doesn’t ask much from your schedule but has real power to reinvigorate your mind and body. 

When your time is up, take a moment to be grateful for your break, pinpoint the ways you feel refreshed, and determine to let the power of this rest time benefit your family and work.  Breathe deeply and ease back into life.

The Half-Day Getaway

This is luxury, Mama.  It requires advanced planning, but it’s worth it!  Schedule a four-hour block of time for yourself and you’ll be able to really top off your mental and emotional reserves. 

Why four hours?  

When you think about it, it’s almost as hard to schedule one hour on your own as it is four.  So take the time.

Plan for an afternoon away and you’ll be home for dinner with the family in a wonderful frame of mind.  Plan for an evening, and you can put the entire day behind you.

Either way, you’ll have plenty of time to relax, have fun or work on a project that brings you happiness.  Immerse yourself completely in an activity that builds you up for an extended period of time. 

You could use this time block in a thousand ways, of course, but here are a few possibilities focused on refreshing your mind:

Gallery stroll

Galleries are wonders of exquisite lighting and beautiful surroundings.  Use your time to visit an art gallery.  

Linger.  Dally.  Consciously let go of stress and expectations.  No need
to interpret if that’s not your thing.  Observe.  Breathe.  Just be.  Let the beauty and quiet soothe and inspire you.

Appreciate and create

Combine complementary activities to experience an exponential increase in happiness.  Spend the first part appreciating something beautiful. 

Live music, botanical gardens, or watching the sunset in a quiet spot are wonderful options.  Just wander and absorb your surroundings without an agenda.  Fully immerse yourself in the moment.

Now, use that inspiration to create in a way that speaks to you.  Writing, drawing, painting, sewing, cooking or just plain imagining.  Use your absorbed appreciation from earlier in the day to fuel your personal creation. 

The beauty becomes a part of you as you use it to inspire your own creativity.  You’ll be nourishing your mind and heart, which has a tendency to calm your body as well.

Reflect and plan

Start by walking someplace beautiful and looking back at what you’ve been doing, feeling, and thinking for the last few months. 

Ask yourself:

• What has been working well for you and your family? 
• What’s causing you discomfort?

Put things into perspective and highlight what you need to move forward contentedly.

Next, spend some time in a calm atmosphere (like a coffee shop or picnic table in the park) that encourages you to think clearly and dream.  Plan how you’ll move forward with your pursuits in a purposeful and reasonable way.

Take the time to write down your thoughts and plans.  Reflecting, then planning sets your mind at ease and brings focus to your life.

Serve and pamper

Helping others can replenish our souls.  Sign up to volunteer for a cause that you feel strongly about.  Your own worries fade as you give your full focus to others.  We see more clearly our place in the community and the world.

After giving to others, pampering yourself will feel even more enjoyable.  Enjoy a meal out, get your hair done, or find a masseuse to release your muscular tension.  It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it should definitely feel special.  Whatever the activity, it should leave you feeling ministered to and strengthened.

A half day to yourself is extremely powerful when used with intention.  In addition to planning in advance with your family, plan in advance with yourself.  Decide what you most need out of this time and how you can make that happen. 

It is vital to let go of guilt to get the most out of your alone time.  Do that and you will truly enjoy yourself.  This time should leave you feeling refreshed, refocused and equipped to continue caring for your loved ones. 

Make sure you give the caregiver a thank you too — this level of self-care doesn’t happen without support!

How Will You Plan for Self-Care?

How will you use these suggestions to plan for your self-care?  You don’t have to use these ideas exclusively, though it’s helpful to have a starting point. 

Schedule appointments with yourself to make sure you get the self-care you need. 

Keep these activities in a file on your phone, computer or even on index cards. That way, you can take advantage of even unexpected moments for self-care. 

If you approach each opportunity deliberately, you can create refreshments for yourself in as little as five minutes.

Nobody can perform at their best if all they do is give of themselves.  Not even you, Mama!

Self-care isn’t about being selfish, it’s about giving ourselves the right tools for our job. You require and deserve this level of support.  Your family needs you to be at your best.

Schedule self-care into your days and not only will you be replenished, but you’ll also keep your entire family energized, productive and happy at the same time. 

Which self-care idea will you try first?

Special thank you to Leah for sharing this super helpful information with us today. Self-care is key to avoiding survival mode and burning out. I hope this article inspired you to take action and put self-care into your daily routines today!

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