5 Ideas For Taking 5 minutes for Mom

I always figured that being a parent would be stressful, but lately it feels like I have significantly underestimated just how stressful it would be.  While I do my best to embrace the chaos of motherhood, the past several months have stretched my limits farther than ever before.  With my oldest having difficulties at school at the beginning of the year, my middle guy having anger issues that are way too big for such a small person that we are working on, a toddler who only wants mommy all.the.time, potty training, work stress and so.much.laundry. – this mama was about ready to call it quits and head for the hills or, at least, somewhere that I could hear my own thoughts for 2 minutes.  In trying to take care of everyone else, I was putting myself last and I felt like I was starting to fray at the edges. It was not pretty.  As I felt myself going down a road that I didn’t want to be on, I decided it was time to make a change and focus on me again.  After all, I can’t support my family if I am falling apart myself.

5 Ideas for Taking 5 minutes for Mom

1 – Exercise – Finding time in your day to do some exercise will not only help your body but also your mind.  For me, getting up before everyone else and heading to the gym a couple of times a week works well.  I love my sleep, but starting the day off with a great workout sets me up for the rest of the day to feel alert and to know that I am working to get my body back in shape.  Don’t have time to go to a gym?  Then check out YouTube for tons of online workouts that you can do at home.  Kids not leaving you alone?  Then get them involved and do some parent/child yoga together. Or checkout a local mom and baby class in your community. In our community of Brampton there is Sweat and Sculpt and Strollerfit.

2 – Grab a cup of tea – Stock up on your favourite teas (or coffee).  Being able to sip away on your favourite beverage while trying to organize everyone out the door for the day is a great way to help you enjoy the little things.  Use a timer to make the morning routine a game.  While you get 5 minutes to enjoy your cup of tea, send the kids to get dressed and brush their teeth and see if they can do it before the timer beeps. Even better is take the kids outside to play at a park if its nice weather and take your tea to go to brighten up your day. If they are old enough you can sit on the park bench and enjoy the tea and watching them play.

3 – Pamper Yourself – Sure, it is great if you can hit the spa, but how often do you get to do that?  Instead, bring the spa to your house.  I have been using the NEW Garnier Whole Blends Moroccan Argan & Camellia Oils blend product line and I love the way it makes my hair feel soft.  Seriously, lock the door for your next shower and enjoy a few minutes of peace while you do a little pampering.  The conditioner is nice and thick which works to smooth your hair without weighing it down.  And the Oil works to protect your hair from damage, and for my thick curly hair it helps to tame the flyaways and to smooth out my curls. There’s also the NEW Legendary Olive blend that I’m excite to try- it uses olive leaf extract and is 100% silicone free.

The whole family can use the Garnier Whole Blends as each blend is paraben free and uses natural extracts.  One cannot underestimate the power of a relaxing shower to lift up your spirits.

4 – Connect With Your Friends – Between homework, sports, work and housekeeping, friendships can be bumped to the back burner.  But having a life outside your children is so important to maintain your sanity.  Call, text, Facetime, Skype, grab a coffee or book a weekend getaway.  You can fit in a little time to connect with your friends, share your successes and vent your frustrations.  Text and Facebook are the 2 major ways I stay connected with my friends, but in the last 2 years I have  started doing an annual getaway with them too.  Some time to just be women, not moms.  Depending on schedules sometimes it is a spa day, sometimes it is a 2 night getaway.  Either way, it is awesome to reconnect and relax.

5 – Dance it off – Dance is a great way to boost your mood and get moving.  Doesn’t matter if you have the house to your yourself (ya right, when does that happen?) or if the kids are around (they will love to dance with you) throw on your favourite tune and get dancing.  With apps like Spotify or Google Play you can be listening to your favourite song in under 30 seconds.  So when things are getting stressful, throw on a song and dance it off!

It is important to remember to put yourself first sometimes.  Carve out small moments of your day just for YOU, because you can’t pour from an empty cup!

And remember mamas, you got this!

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Garnier Whole Blends, the opinions and language are my own.

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