Working from home with kids is a whole struggle. Truth is, no one has experience working from home during a pandemic, ESPECIALLY with toddlers AND during the summer. Talk about the perfect storm! Their energy is on 100 all day while you're just trying to get through the work day and keep a level head. It can definitely take a toll on your mental health. Today, I’m sharing some self care tips for work from home mamas during these times to help us all keep things somewhat together.
CREATE A ROUTINE
Having some sort of structure to your day, especially with kids can be helpful. We follow a loose schedule around here since my work days can be pretty unpredictable given the kind of work I do, but having a general idea of when things happen (nap time, screen time, lunch time, activities, etc...) is great because I know what to expect and what to look forward to, to some extent.
TAKE BREAKS DURING THE DAY
Breaks are definitely necessary when working from home with kids. Sometimes I steal away from my desk to go hang out with the kids. That in itself is self care sometimes because they're always doing something funny and amazing, which really just takes my mind off the stresses of work. I also retreat to the bathroom for a break from everything when I can just to have time to myself. Those naps aren't always guaranteed, so having some kind of break during the day is important for my own sanity and mental health.
FEUL YOUR BODY
There have definitely been days where I have skipped breakfast, and some days breakfast and lunch all together because I just didn't have the time. It's important we take care of ourselves by feeding our bodies good stuff.
ASK FOR & ACCEPT HELP
Self care sometimes means learning to accept help. When they say it takes a village to raise a child, it definitely rings true because raising a child, especially more than one can be a lot. Giving up some of that control and accepting when you need help doesn't make you a bad mom. You are only human and definitely can't do it all. In my case, my mother in law is here during the day to help with the kids, and I definitely feel the need sometimes to do it all (work and take care of the kids) even when she is here sometimes. Reality is I simply can't. And that's okay!
FOCUS ON YOUR GOALS
Being home all day with the kids, is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we forget about our own goals. This oftentimes leaves us feeling unfulfilled. Take some time during the day to do something for yourself and focus on some of your goals. Tackle those emails, write that blog post, workout. I have a list of things three things I want to accomplish for the day and make sure to knock out at least one goal.
MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY
At the end of the day, your no good to anyone if you don't make yourself a priority. Do something for yourself during the day. For me, making sure I follow through with my skincare routine in the morning is what makes me feel most like myself. That 10 minutes to myself is everything! With all that's going on it may seem like you don't have the time, but you have to make time. You are just as important as everyone and everything else!
GET OUT
Safely, of course. While things have started to open up here in NY, I’m still very cautious and mindful of where I’m taking the kids. So far since parks have been opened, we’ve allowed out kids to play on the playground whereas before we would just take walks around the trail when playgrounds were closed. Definitely looking into what else we can get into once the workday is over so they can release all of their built up energy. The fresh air and some vitamin D will do you some good as well!
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