New Year, new start. If there’s any new year’s resolution you should be making this year, it should be to be more selfish.
Sounds backwards, right? Well, think about it. As a mother you put everyone, especially your kids, ahead of yourself—it’s basically embedded in your DNA. But sometimes, that gives moms the tendency to let themselves go—and we aren’t talking about your figure. You literally let yourself go and start to forget who you are outside of “mom”.
To prevent that from happening, change gears and be a little more selfish this year. Not only will it make you a better mom in the long run, but a generally happier person as well. Start doing things YOU love and things that are good for YOU, and watch yourself be the best mom you’ve ever seen yourself be.
Have a regular girls’ night
There’s nothing like getting together with the closest ladies in your life, opening a bottle of wine and unwinding after a long week. Just like they helped you through high school, college and the whirlwind that was your early twenties—your go-to gal pals will most definitely help you through the highs and lows of motherhood, helping keep your sanity intact. A regular girls’ night, whether it be weekly or monthly, is something we all need once in a while.
Have date night
Rekindle the romance with your beau with a regular date night. It can be as simple as having the house to yourselves and watching a good movie together. Just remember to call the babysitter and make it only about you two!
Take 30 minutes to exercise everyday
Whether you do it in the peace and quiet in the morning before everyone wakes up or during your kids’ naptime, find the time to get your body into shape. Forget diets and scales, do it simply because you owe it to yourself to be in good health.
Get your annual check-up
While getting your annual check-up is far from fun, it’s probably one of the most important things you should do, especially if your family has a history of certain cancers or other hereditary diseases. Remember, the best defence against anything is early detection.
Sleep more
Pretty self-explanatory. Let’s just say naptime wasn’t just invented for kids.
Make time for a hobby
It’s easy to dedicate all your time to your kids and family, but once in awhile it’s nice to get out of habit and do something for yourself. If there’s something you always wanted to try or you miss doing that one thing you always used to do, this year is as good as ever to get back into it.
Dress up
Let your hair loose and put on those sexy jeans you keep at the back of the closet! It will give you that boost of self-confidence you’ve been missing.
Read
Drop the parenting books, lifestyle mags, and horrifying news headlines and trade them in for a good book. Immerse yourself into the fascinating fictional and non-fictional worlds as written by their talented authors and take a little break from reality.
Ask for help
My hat goes off to all the supermoms out there who tackle an unimaginable amount every single day. But as they say, it takes a village. It takes a village to raise your kids, take care of your family and everything else in between. So just when you feel like things are getting tough, forget the unneeded stress and reach out for help.
Stop being your own worst critic
We’re all too hard on ourselves sometimes. Just when you think you’ve reached a tipping point; sit down, take a deep breath and re-evaluate. Appreciate the things around you and you’ll realize you’re surrounded by a lot more blessings than you thought.
And in case nobody’s told you—relax, you’re doing a great job.
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