Being a mother is a joyful experience, but it can also be stressful owing to the numerous obligations that come with it. Mothers frequently find themselves juggling various duties, such as carer, breadwinner, and household manager, with little time for self-care. On the other hand, prioritizing self-care is critical for moms to manage stress and maintain good physical and mental health. This blog will highlight the significance of self-care for mothers and provide a step-by-step guide to developing a self-care practice.
Sources of Stress for Mothers
Mothers face a variety of stressors that can affect their mental and physical health. These stressors include parenting responsibilities, financial pressures, work-related stress, relationship issues, health concerns, and societal pressures. These stressors can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Therefore, mothers must recognize and address the sources of stress in their lives and seek support from partners, family members, friends, or mental health professionals when needed.
Creating a Self-Care Routine
Developing a self-care practice can assist women in managing stress, avoiding burnout, and improving their general well-being. Mothers can start a self-care practice by doing the following:
- Assessment of Your Needs: The first step is to evaluate your requirements. Consider what makes you joyful, what activities help you relax, and what you require to feel healthy and content. This can involve getting adequate sleep, eating healthily, exercising, and spending time with close ones.
- Identify Self-Care Activities: Following an assessment of your needs, find self-care activities you love and can realistically incorporate into your routine. This can include having a soothing bath, reading a book, meditating, or walking outside.
- Schedule Time for Self-Care: The next step is to set aside time for self-care activities. Set aside time daily to accomplish things that make you happy. This can be difficult, but prioritizing self-care and making it a non-negotiable element of your daily routine is critical.
- Get Support: Feel free to seek assistance from loved ones or specialists. So you can devote more time to self-care, and ask your friends & family to assist with childcare or home responsibilities. You can also seek help from healthcare specialists such as therapists or counselors to handle stress and other mental health issues.
- Practice Mindfulness: Meditation and deep breathing are two mindfulness practices that can help you stay present at the moment and reduce stress. Begin with a few minutes of daily practice and progressively increase the duration as you get more comfortable.
Self-Care Activities to Reduce Stress
Here are some self-care activities that mothers can do to reduce stress:
- Practice Mindfulness or Meditation: Mindfulness means being present at the moment instead of getting caught up in ideas about the past or the future. Meditation is one method of practicing awareness. It can help to take few deep breaths & focusing on your breath entering and leaving the body.
- Take a Relaxing Bath: A warm bath can assist in relieving stress and calming fatigued muscles. Adding Epsom salts or aromatic oils like lavender will help you relax even more.
- Exercise: Exercise is a great technique to relieve stress. Even 10-15 minutes of physical activity can allow the body's natural stress-fighting hormones, endorphins, to be released.
- Connect with Loved Ones: Spending time with loved ones, whether it's a phone call, video chat, or in-person visit, can help to reduce stress and provide emotional support.
- Self-compassion is essential: Being kind to oneself and practicing self-compassion is critical. Recognize that motherhood can be difficult, and permit yourself to indulge in self-care without feeling guilty.
Conclusion
To summarise, motherhood can be a demanding and stressful role, but prioritizing self-care is critical for sustaining excellent physical and emotional health. Mothers should assess their needs, select self-care activities they enjoy, schedule time for self-care, and seek help when necessary. Mothers who invest in their own well-being are well-equipped to handle the difficulties of daily life and can positively impact the well-being of their families.
Solh Wellness is running a campaign called #MomMeTime for mothers who feel stressed and overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood. The campaign offers resources & support to help mothers prioritize their mental health and well-being. In addition, Solh Wellness is hosting a mental health mela called "Solh Fiesta" throughout May. The event will feature mental health sessions specifically designed for mothers. To learn more about the campaign and participate in the support group, download the Solh app. Join #MomMeTime and take steps towards better mental health and well-being.
