When was the last time you had “me-time” and how did you spend that time?

Hmm I’ve actually been quite unwell lately so I’ve had quite a bit of forced time to myself, while my extended family have been pitching in lots looking after my boys, so I can rest and recover but on Saturday I actually used a gift voucher I got for my birthday for a massage which was really nice.

What are some of your favourite ways to practice self care?

I love doing yoga, it’s something that makes me feel so rested and energised. I feel like it awakens something within me making me feel like I can do anything. My absolute favourite thing is an early morning beach yoga session followed by a fresh smoothie. Even if my kids are running around hanging off me and all I get the chance to do is sit in stillness with my eyes closed and my palms open, practising my breathing, I feel so refreshed afterwards. It’s the best way to start the day. Although I must say I do not do this as often as I’d like. I should definitely work on that!

What advice would you give to mamas struggling to create “me-time”? How do you make time in your schedule for yourself?

I believe that by living in alignment with your core values and pursuing a life that serves you, your whole life can become ‘me time’. However even the most successful mamas can get trapped by circumstances such as sickness, lack of sleep which can cause you to go into survival mode, where you put yourself on the bottom of your to do list. 

The most important thing you can do is to get out of that ‘survival’ or ‘reactive’ mode of letting your circumstances control you and take control of your time and ultimately your life. Remind yourself that you can ask for help and nothing bad will happen if you get a babysitter for an hour so you can take a walk on the beach. You deserve it and your kids deserve the best of you.

I try to create ‘time chunks’ in my day where I will schedule in my daily planner (or iPhone calendar app) an hour or two of work dedicated to one task, then I will leave a gap in my schedule of five, ten or even fifteen minutes after the last one finishes before another work ‘time chunk’ begins. In that time I’ll get up, make myself a cuppa, go outside and play with my dog, call a friend etc. Those gaps in time give me a chance to catch my breath and centre myself so I don’t just turn into a slave to my work or kids.

I work from home but the same premise can be used for mamas who aren’t working. You can schedule time in your day to be productive and to nurture yourself as well. For example while my baby is napping, I’ll take 30 minutes for a cuppa and watch Ellen then I’ll get to folding the washing and prepping dinner. It might sound silly to schedule time in for these mundane things but I tend to get frozen by indecision. It’s like, ok I have two hours, I have so much to do, where do I start?!’ Then you spend all your time on one task instead of splitting your time wisely. It helps you to keep track of time and it helps you use your time more effectively.