One of the hardest jobs on earth is being a mother.
Whether you have one child or five, it can be difficult to set time for yourself to breathe let alone stay healthy and fit. Being responsible for a household while simultaneously juggling a career, or even several jobs, can affect your physical and mental well-being.
Making time to relax, practice self-care, exercise or work on improving yourself is vitally important and should be scheduled into your daily routine. Here are a few tips that all working moms can utilize to find time for themselves and revitalize not only the mind but the body as well.
1. Leave Work At Work
It may seem fairly evident but as an outgoing and hardworking mother and employee, it can be hard to find boundaries between the two worlds in your life. Most working moms will spend parts of their work day trying to schedule doctor’s appointments, car pools and planning their children’s extracurricular activities. At the same time, they will take time at home to return emails, make calls and finish other work from the office. It can seem at times that you are juggling 500 things at once.
By planning your workday out beforehand, you can avoid distractions and ensure that you get the day’s projects done before leaving the office for the day. Getting a day planner can help with this. At the same time, avoid doing any work while at home and allow for family time with your kids. Eat dinner together, and plan activities that you can all do as a unit.
2. Drink Water
Water is vitally important in everyone’s daily routine, but for working mothers it’s the key to being energized and focused all day long. By avoiding unhealthy and sugary coffees, sodas or energy drinks, you won’t crash in the middle of the day and can avoid unnecessary calories. Also, they can result in you feeling bloated and tired throughout the day, making you less productive.
Who can sit through meetings or make a presentation while feeling fatigued or while trying to deal with uncomfortable cramps and stomach issues? Adding lemon or other fruits to your water can help add flavor and aesthetic to your water. Another good alternative, if you do crave carbonation, is flavored seltzer water.
3. Take Care of Your Body
Keeping your physical health and fitness goals in mind will help you stay active, and making exercise a priority can keep your overall well-being in check. Most physicians recommend getting 60 minutes of physical exercise each day in order to maintain a healthy weight, especially when working in an office. Skin care is also very important. Maintaining your skin, especially your face, is a great way to stay looking youthful.
Using skin care products that help combat issues like clogged pores, acne, under-eye bags and wrinkles can ensure longevity in your appearance. This can be difficult with such a busy schedule but is necessary to avoid long-term health issues.
4. Make Sure You Are Well-Rested
Sleep is the “bread and butter” of a working mother’s schedule. It plays a huge part in the state of your overall health, and not getting sufficient rest can keep you from being the most productive you throughout the work week.
Set a bedtime that fits into your busy schedule, and make sure your children are fast asleep first. Many experts have said that between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. is the best time for working moms to lay down for the night. Meaning your infants should be in bed around 7 p.m.
Lack of sleep can cause a domino effect that keeps you from accomplishing your daily and weekly goals. And on top of that, you will find yourself trying to play catch-up with your sleep schedule as a result. You will be surprised what eight hours of sleep will do for your stamina and energy levels throughout the day.
Your family is so grateful for everything that you do as a mother, and they want you to be the healthiest version of yourself you can be. Make it your priority to better yourself each and every day not only for them, but yourself. Your mental and physical health are vitally important and should not be ignored or neglected.
Be the best employee, wife and mother you can be each day. Empower yourself, and always know that there are people who care about you and depend on you. Make 2019 the best year yet by staying active and fit, and working on you.
If you’re a mom who’s looking to re-enter the workforce or find a new flexible job, check out our Jobs Board.
