By 
As a busy mom, I definitely neglect myself. A lot. It seems better than neglecting other responsibilities. I mean, I have to feed my family, tidy up the house, run errands and all the other mandatory daily chores. Working from home has turned out to be a bigger challenge than I expected. In my mind it would be this glorious thing where I could work in my pj’s and everything would miraculously get done and the world would be great.
What has actually happened is that to keep up with the demands, I have completely neglected myself. The holidays are certainly making this even worse. I woke up this morning feeling horrible and stressed out, again. My husband looked at me (as he is walking out the door) and said: “You need to go back to your yoga classes”. My response, of course, was “Yeah? When would you like me to go”? Being a man, his response was “It’s all about priorities”. “Make the time, not excuses”.
At first, this honestly pissed me off a little. He doesn’t understand how many directions I am being pulled in all at once. If I am working, my three-year-old son is crying for me to play with him. If I choose to play with him, I fall behind on my work. Plus, I seriously need to clean my house. I mean REALLY bad. And we are having company come today. I HAVE to clean. After some thought though, he is right. Ugh, who else hates when their husband is right!?
Is it really a big deal if I don’t get my floors mopped? In my mind yes. It’s all about maintaining the appearance that I have it all together. When truly, I’m treading water trying to keep up. This results in so much added stress for me. I am not the mom that has it all together. My house is a mess and I can’t remember the last time I did something for me.
I have been toying around with this Self Care Saturday Challenge idea for a while and was going to launch it in January. You know, when things slow down. HA! Things will never slow down. To cope, I need an outlet and I’m hoping that launching this now will help hold me accountable. Maybe it will help you too? We can help keep each other on track so let’s do this! Whether your thing is taking a bubble bath, reading, enjoying a cup of tea, yoga, or the gym let’s share our experiences and take care of ourselves. Let’s commit to devoting 1 hour a week to taking care of ourselves.
Charyl Scott
November 18, 2017Sounds great if we follow through. Right now I am devoting 2 – 4 hours a week to physical therapy. I am a month out from a total knee replacement. It’s rough, but I’m getting there.
Leslie Morrison
November 18, 2017Oh no 🙁 I hope that knee gets to feeling better soon! That has to be tough, hang in there!
Beth Eaton
November 21, 2017I really needed this today! I used to be so good about yoga and the art of taking care of self a couple years ago but the daily grind and chaos of stressful family life has made me walk away from that. I really need to begin it again. Thanks for the bit of encouragement!
Leslie Morrison
November 21, 2017We all need encouragement! Hopefully, we can help keep each other accountable. Momming is tough but We are important too!
Renee
November 21, 2017This is hard…even when I think I’m taking care of myself…I’m still not. You are doing great mama and I hope you can carve out some time for yourself. I am definitely with you on this.
Leslie Morrison
November 21, 2017🙂
Meaghan
November 21, 2017I agree! It’s almost impossible as a mom to focus on self-care. But it’s a necessity! It’s how we recharge and are the best moms we need to be! I accept this challenge. I need to be held accountable to workout daily–not for looks or even for physical health. For me, it’s about mental health especially through this rough holiday season!
Leslie Morrison
November 21, 2017Yes! The physical perks are nice (who doesn’t want a firmer tush) but the mental perks are so much more rewarding and desperately needed!
Teani
November 21, 2017Good article.
Leslie Morrison
November 21, 2017Thank you. 🙂
Breanna
November 21, 2017Love love love this post! It’s so hard to remember to take care of ourselves when things get busy, especially with the holidays coming up. Great reminder 🙂
Maryal
November 22, 2017I absolutely love this. Such great reminders to slow down and take care of yourself, so you can go out and give your best self to everyone and everything around you. Thanks for sharing!
magen
November 22, 2017Between work, school, and being a mom I am one of those people that really don’t make enough time for herself. It is something I really need to work on.
Leslie Morrison
November 22, 2017We all need to work on it! I know how hard it can be to make the time. Just keep at it!
Lee
November 23, 2017Great post! I have difficulty completing tasks on days that I work from home. Where I do prefer to work from home I find I get more done in the office. I may not have children but I am in College, working full time, and married. I am constantly doing everything to keep my home running. I totally neglect myself and need to make sure I take time for me. Great post!
Lee
Lee
November 23, 2017I totally neglect myself and need to stop. Between work, school, and my husband I am always doing other things.
Lee