25 Easy, Must-Try Self Care Ideas For Moms

Hey mama! Looking for easy self care ideas for moms? Here are 25 simple ways to take care of yourself. Enjoy!

When you become a mom, it is wayyy too easy to put yourself last.

First, there’s the fact that a tiny human depends on you. They need you in every way – and it’s easy to underestimate how physical, mental, and emotional this can be.

Then of course, there’s the mom guilt.

If you are here reading this blog post today, you’re probably looking for self-care ideas for the same reason I once did.

You know you should take care of yourself more. But you’re thinking, “How do you take care of yourself as a mother when you’re constantly drained?”

Related Reading: 67 Self Love Journal Prompts (For Self-Esteem)

The Many Woes Of Motherhood

If you’re anything like me you woke up one day deep in the throes of motherhood, and realized that you were burnt out. Who were you before kids? Who are you now? 

Maybe you looked in the mirror and saw someone you didn’t recognize. Or maybe you simply saw another mom who looked happier and healthier than you.

Maybe you gained a little weight or hadn’t spent any time pursuing your hobbies or self care practices for a long time.

No matter how it looks for you, you realized that you were no longer the same person you were before you became a mother.

All of us change in motherhood and more so with every new child that enters our family. If you are a seasoned mother you may know this quite well.

But even the most seasoned of mothers recognizes that self-care is important to be the best parents we can. (It doesn’t matter if you are a working mom, stay at home mom, or just a really busy mom of any kind.)

However, it takes most of us some time to realize this.

When I became a mother it took me a long time to realize that I had lost parts of myself that kept me happy healthy and honestly sane.

I’d basically tossed all essential self-love rituals out the window.

Related Reading: 30 Ways to Be A Happier Mom When Things Are Tough

Why Self Care Matters For Moms

I leapt into motherhood by jumping off of the deep end. However, this had a backfiring effect that took many months or perhaps even years for me to fully feel. What I mean is that I became very busy giving every ounce of my energy to my child.

This led to a lot of unhealthy feelings and unhealthy choices that made me feel like I was doing everything for my child. (You can read about my postpartum depression story and tips to combat it naturally in this post.) And while I was proud of being a dedicated mother, I realized that I was very unhappy with myself.

I became an angry, resentful, and unhealthy person because I wasn’t taking care of myself. (This is why self-care is one of my go-to tips for new moms!) 

At this time I didn’t realize that self-care ideas were something that you could look up on the internet. in fact I didn’t  even though that self-care ideas for moms were a thing. to be totally honest I didn’t even know that self-care was the answer to many of my problems.

Had I known that if I just paid more attention to myself and took care of myself differently, I would have enjoyed motherhood a lot more. Instead, I spent a few years battling postpartum depression because I didn’t have the tools for self-care that I do now. 

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Now I am an advocate for moms who are realizing what I did.

In order to be the best mom you can you need to take care of your own health. And in speaking of health, I am talking about mental, physical, and spiritual.

It’s amazing what a small action can do for you and your self-esteem. For example, when I was deep in mothering a toddler, I felt so overwhelmed that I did not even bother to put any makeup on or do my hair most days.

But I realize that those essential rituals are important in making us feel human and boosting our own self-esteem.

Something as small as putting on mascara or getting out of the house every day for a walk can have a big impact over time.

These simple self-care rituals can really have a huge impact on our mental health, physical health, and spiritual health.

Not only are they important for us as parents, but they are twofold in that they are important things to model for our children. (Read my post about raising body-positive children here.)

Everything that we do to take care of ourselves, will somehow impact our children. when we take better care of ourselves oh, we have better interactions with our kids. So you can forget anyone who has ever said that doing what makes you happy or healthy is selfish if you have kids.

We all know the kind of people and comments I am talking about.

I know more than anyone that it is easy to overcomplicate self-care. There’s no reason that your self-care has to look like a 10-day Vegan yoga retreat in Costa Rica. It doesn’t have to be that extreme to have an effect.

While I would love to go on a retreat myself, I am simply not in a place, as a mother of two young children, to do such a thing.

Instead, I try to focus on realistic self care rituals that a mom could easily do daily. You know, free or inexpensive self-care ideas that almost anyone could do. 

I’m going to share those ideas with you. My hope would be that you start being okay with taking care of yourself.

The best part about it is that most of these easy self care ideas for moms are things you can do TODAY! 

25 Easy Self-Care Ideas For Moms

Gone are the days of you wondering, “How can I practice self care?” This list is full of simple, inexpensive things you can do – no excuses!

*If you have any ideas to add to the list please share with them with me below! I’ll be sure to add them to the list!

1. Go for a walk outside –  even if you have kids with you. 
2. Paint your nails a new color.
3. Take a bath after the kids go to bed.
4. Write in a journal. I have recently started to use this simple gratitude journal and it helps me start my day on a positive note. 
5. Read a book you’ve been wanting to read. (Girl, Stop Apologizing, anyone?)
6. Let yourself aimlessly browse Pinterest (and Pin your heart out)!
7. Watch a romantic comedy with a glass of wine.
8. Go out for lunch with friends.
9. Spend time on your own personal project
10. Listen to a Rachel Hollis podcast. Or Tony Robbins. Or Natalie Hodson. 🙂 
11. Take yourself out for coffee and a muffin.
12. Try a new Spotify playlist. Here’s a fun one!
13. Find inspirational new accounts to follow on Instagram. I like @fatgirlfedup. You can also follow me here. 
14. Watch an inspiring documentary on Netflix such as Brene Brown’s The Call To Courage, or Tony Robbins’ I Am Not Your Guru.
15. Learn to “Center Down”. This is a method I learned in a college class. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus on being present. Eliminate any thoughts that are distracting you from accomplishments or the people in front of you.
16. Wash and prep some fruit and vegetables for the week.
17. Make one small step toward your personal health goals such as cutting out one cup of coffee per day.
18. Try an adult coloring book. This one looks super fun! 
19. Spend a few minutes stretching tight muscles or foam rolling quietly. Read about foam rolling in this post.
20. Buy or create your own soothing essential oil blend to roll on during stressful times. This blend is popular and well-known.
21. Try a relaxing Epsom salt bath. This one is infused with lavender.
22. Have a one song quick dance party to lift your spirits. I recommend “Happy” by Pharrell Williams!
23. Create an energizing playlist to help you get things done throughout the day. Here’s a random one I found with no curse words! 
24. Soak up some sun by sitting outside for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. The vitamin D helps!
25. Give an unsolicited hug to someone you love. They will be surprised by your gesture and the hug will help get the endorphins flowing! 

Want a free printable self care checklist? I created one that corresponds with this list! Sign up to get your free self care checklist PDF download today.