Mommy Care Tips To Cope During a Pandemic

As we enter a new year with lots of hope and opportunity, we can’t ignore that the global pandemic that has affected almost every aspect of our lives continues to rage on, bringing with it a host of new and continued restrictions. Observing stay-at-home orders means trips to the spa or gym may not be in the cards right now. Finding ways to honor ourselves, our feelings, and attending to our own needs is important now more than ever. New challenges like working from home and facilitating kids' school at home activities have been added to our already endless to-do lists. These challenges, coupled with balancing everything that normally comes with managing family and home, create an environment in which making time for a self-care routine during a pandemic is essential.

Self-care while remaining socially distant, can mean finding new ways to put yourself first and make time to attend to your needs in a way that both minimizes your exposure to COVID-19 and also keeps others safe. Self-care, especially during a pandemic, is about getting out of your own head for a while. A few safe and easy mommy care tips during this global pandemic include:

 

• Get outside: Even just sitting in your backyard and getting a change of scenery from the inside of your home can do wonders for your mood. Studies have proven that even the smallest bit of nature — a single tree, a small patch of flowers, a house plant — can generate health benefits.

• Breathe more: Take 10 minutes to focus just on breathing and encourage your partner to do the same. This can be harder than you can imagine if you aren’t used to it, but it helps slow down your thoughts so that you can better focus when you return to your daily tasks. Plus, better breathing means better oxygenation to your brain and muscles. You’ll just feel better all around.

• Personal care:  Taking a relaxing bubble bath after the kids have gone to bed, give yourself a manicure, or a facial (or maybe both a manicure and a facial!) can sometimes be enough to give you that lift you need. Just a few quiet moments focusing only on yourself can truly change your perspective.

• Take a break from social media: While social media can be very entertaining at times, there are days when everything in your news feed may seem negative and controversial. Constantly scrolling through all that drama & bad news doesn’t help you keep your mental health in check. Take a break, and encourage your kids to do the same. Don’t worry, all the drama will still be there when you return.

• Connect with friends: Make it a point to talk to your friends regularly, both together with your partner or co-parent, and separately. The pandemic has kept us from our normal social interactions. Find ways to connect with friends and other parents so that you get the support (and laughs) that you need to keep going.

• Give yourself grace: We're living through an unprecedented experience. Even the most introverted people amongst us are social by nature, as connection and interaction are a basic human need. There is no playbook to tell us how to proceed during a pandemic. Extending grace to ourselves is just as important as extending it to others. Recognize that there will be ups and downs. The rollercoaster ride of emotions will eventually smooth out. In the meantime, extending grace to ourselves and taking time out for self-care isn't selfish. It's necessary so that we can  be there for those who rely on us.

It is impossible to do everything, or be everything to everyone. Life is hard enough as we're trying to do it all; don't be even harder on yourself if you ever feel like you’re falling short of expectations. These days, we all need an extra dose of care, and grace, and understanding.