How I take care of myself a little every day

When you're a busy stay-at-home mum it's easy to take care of everyone else. You spend your days cleaning the house, driving the kids to and from school, cooking all the meals, and generally making sure everyone is happy and healthy. Everyone except yourself. At some point you crash, catch the flu, the sickness bug that is going around school, or basically wear yourself out to breaking point. And then you're not helping anyone - except you still try, and that makes the illness last longer. That's why it's so important to take care of yourself a little every day, and today I'm sharing how I take care of myself a little every day.



How I take care of myself in a morning

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | Watching the sunrise can be such a peaceful thing to do.
When was the last time you watched the sunrise?


I'm not big on make up or spending hours on end making myself look "pretty". I tend to get up and have a quick morning routine. But over the last few months I have added to that routine to integrate some things that help me take care of myself.





There is no picturesque version of what self-care looks like; it's different for every person who wants to practice it.

Jenna Wortham





I take care of my skin a little every day


I never bothered with lots of creams or anything until recently. I noticed the skin on my face becoming dry and flaky and I knew I needed to do something about it because it was starting to itch too. It was irritated and distracting me, so that made me want to do something. Having sensitive skin can mean that any cheap creams irritate more so I had to be really careful with the creams I chose to use. Thankfully I had a trip to Eden Hall - a wonderful day spa in Nottinghamshire - and a facial there helped me to learn about the creams I need to use.

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | Skincare becomes important the older you get - so I've found!


So anyway, getting to the cream. It turns out that even No7 day cream from boots, which doesn't have any chemicals or anything, irritated my skin. But the creams and toners that were used during my facial at Eden Hall didn't. The Elemis range of products is brilliant, and actually helped my skin once I started using them. They're quite price, unfortunately, but it's what I need so I'm treating myself to some good cream and toner. I use the Hydra-boost range and love it - it helps my dry skin and doesn't irritate or make me itch.



I drink a little coffee every day


When I head downstairs in a morning I love to have a coffee and sit quietly before anyone else gets up. Sometimes the Hubby will be up at the same time, but that's okay because he'll sit reading the news while I enjoy my coffee. It's a little bit of me time before the hectic day begins and I can think about the day's plans and decide the order of things.

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | Planning out my day makes it easier to organise myself.
Being organised really helps with having extra time for yourself.


Getting that little bit of time before the day begins properly helps me. I can be calm for a little while, take in my tasks for the day, and give my brain a boost before it all begins.



After the morning rush I still take care of myself


After my coffee I get the boys up, set about my morning chores, and make sure the boys are ready for school. I like to get a few jobs done before the school run so I'm not having to clean up while cooking dinner, or after eating.

My list of jobs before the school run is:

Fill the washing machine and switch it on. Set a reminder to check it later.
Fill the dishwasher and switch it on.
Wipe down the kitchen countertops.
Pick up any bits in the lounge.

As I do these jobs every day they rarely take more than about 30 minutes to complete, which means I can get them done before the school run and still have plenty of time to spare.



Taking care of myself at lunch time


After spending my morning in my office working on the computer I take a proper lunch break. This is easier because the Hubby works at home too and we eat our lunch together. We usually sit and watch our favourite TV show while eating lunch. We both step away from our work and take a proper break. It gives us both a chance to talk about our morning and a lot of the time it allows us to talk through some of the ideas we've both had during the morning.

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | Chatting with the Hubby is a great distraction from work in the middle of the day.




A little exercise every day


Strangely exercise makes me feel good. It's not something that has always happened but I do find I feel better and have more energy if I do exercise. My exercise of choice used to be running, but as I've gained weight that has become more difficult, so for the time being my choice is the exercise bike. While the Hubby and I have something on the TV I hop onto the exercise bike and do 20 minutes.

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | I attend a yoga class every Saturday - and it's awesome!
Yoga class on a Saturday is doing me good, as well as the exercise bike!


It doesn't sound like a lot, and actually doesn't sound like it's something for "me", but it really does help. When I do exercise I feel good, it's tiring but after a while I do feel better. I have more energy because of doing exercise, which means there are more hours in the day that I can utilise rather than sitting wondering why I'm so tired. That's why exercise, while tiring is another way I take care of myself.



I like to take care of myself in the evenings too


After dinner has been cooked and eaten and all the chores have been completed I take some more time for me. This is easier now my boys are older, at 9 and 14 they tend to want to play games or chat to friends and this gives me a little time when I don't have to be monitoring what they're doing all the time. So this is when I take time for me, at the moment I use that time playing a game - Zelda on the Switch. Sometimes it's just 20 minutes, sometimes it's more than an hour, but I do get to play my game most days. I enjoy taking time out and allowing myself to "do nothing".

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | Coffee and a good book, with my feet up - now that's the life!
Me, enjoying a little quiet time with a coffee and a good book.



Take care of yourself a little every day!


It doesn't sound like a lot, I spend most of my time taking care of family and cleaning my house but I do take time for myself every day. I used to feel guilty for spending an extra 5 minutes in the bathroom on my skincare routine. I used to feel guilty for ignoring the dishes at the end of the day. I used to feel guilty for playing games or taking time at the end of the day to do something I enjoy. But I gave up that guilt because not only is it not healthy but no one else cares! No one is bothered by the fact that I'm spending time on myself, no one hates that I ignore the dishes or play games. In fact they encourage it - so it's time for you to take care of yourself!





Self-care is really about taking care of you and focusing on feeling good about yourself - mind and body.

Franchesca Ramsey





When you're happy, when you get to spend time on the things you love, you're more willing to do the things that are required. In fact you're not just willing, you end up looking forward to getting things done - because when they're done you get some time for you!

How I Take Care Of Myself A Little Every Day | It's important to get a little time to spend on yourself every day - just integrate it into your routine.


Whether it's a new skincare routine, spending 10 minutes meditating, or a new exercise routine, make time for yourself. Just a few minutes during the day can make all the difference and it'll give you the energy to cope with anything your family can throw at you.



How will you take care of yourself a little every day?




If you're struggling to get any time for you grab my Wonderful Winter Activity Book to keep your kids busy for a while so you can at least enjoy a hot coffee!