5 Tips for Prioritising Your Health as a Busy Mum
Wearing many hats is often part of being a mother but if you’re reaching the verge of burnout or missing the energy levels you used to have, it’s time to make a change.
While I was raising a young family, I might have been in the midst of all the positive effects and knowledge of the skincare world, yet I still found myself struggling with the balancing act of being a mum, running a business, and prioritising my health.
I soon realised that small changes made the biggest difference. Here are my five top tips for prioritising your health as a busy mum.
1. Take a 360 snapshot of your health
Taking a 360 snapshot is an invaluable exercise for busy mothers on a health journey. But before we expand, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.
Health isn’t just about exercising regularly and eating healthy food.
Almost everything in your life can have an impact on your health. For example, when you think of consuming healthy things, nutritious meals are bound to spring to mind. But what about the social media, news, and gossip you’re consuming too?
Or perhaps you want to eliminate stress. You might think about delegating some of your workload or implementing a new time management strategy. But what about assessing the quality of your relationships?
To take a snapshot, draw a table and write the main pillars of health in each section.
The pillars can be personal to you, but might include, physical, nutritional, emotional, social, spiritual, financial, fun, career and so on.
Take a moment to think about all of these areas and write down where you could do with a little more attention. Then, rate each pillar out of ten to help identify your top priorities.
2. Create a bedtime routine
You don’t need me to tell you how important sleep is. If anyone knows the value of sleep, it’s mothers. But bedtime often means crashing from exhaustion or laying awake with thoughts spinning around your head. Neither situations are ideal.
Here’s my advice: know that a bedtime routine isn’t just for your little ones.
Building a routine (even a short one) could be the difference between struggle and ease the following day. But how do you get good sleep when your to-do list is as long as your arm?
Save your bed for sleep and sex only
Minimise screen time before bed
Plan out the following day to let your mind rest
Try a 10-minute breathing meditation or yin yoga
These are just a few tips to try out before you try to get some sleep. Maintaining a bedtime routine will help you switch off at the end of the day. Better sleep, better health.
3. Take care of your beautiful skin
In my opinion, skincare is one of the most incredible forms of self care. Taking the time–even if it’s just a couple of minutes a day–to look after your skin can give you a wonderful confidence boost which ripples into the rest of your life.
Nourish yourself inside and out.
You’ve probably heard about nourishing yourself from the inside out which is advice to live by. But that doesn’t mean you can’t nourish your skin. It might not be your top priority but once you get around to it, you’ll never look back.
As a skincare expert, I urge you to discover the benefits of even the simplest of skin care routines. Whether you want to enhance your glow or take 15 mins to mindfully apply your serums, I would recommend:
IS clinical cleansing complex for gentle, effective daily cleansing which is suitable for ALL skin types
Medik8 C Tetra cream For brightening hydration, a quick simple dewey moisturiser
Image skincare Vital C hydrating mask – A quick fix for smoother, brighter, hydrated skin
4. Get comfortable asking for help
As I’ve already mentioned, wearing many hats is often part of being a mum. So it’s incredibly easy to feel as though you have to take on everything yourself. You might be highly skilled in multi-tasking but that doesn’t mean you need to do it all.
The truth is, it can lead to burnout. The opposite of health.
Delegation isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
I know it can be hard at first to let go, but try to see what tasks, chores or responsibilities you can ask for help with even if it’s just once a week.
Whether you end up finding babysitting support or outsourcing work in your business, you’ll have one less thing you have to worry about. It’s a great way to reduce the overwhelm, and win back some precious time. Finally, a chance to catch up on yourself or, better yet, rest.
5. Adjust your mindset: lose the all-or-nothing mentality
When the motivation for health is flowing, it’s tempting to imagine a complete overhaul of your life.
Be mindful of where that comes from.
The over-ambition might come from a desperate need to feel better and I don’t blame you. You deserve to feel healthy and full of life.
But it’s also important to be mindful that everything from Instagram to the magazines we grew up with all sell the ‘dream’ of dramatic transformations and overnight success.
That’s not reality. Prioritising your health as a busy mum doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing approach.
Your approach should be as healthy as your intention.
Remember that long-lasting healthy habits are built gradually and slowly. As a busy mother, you’re already taking care of so many responsibilities. Resist the pressure to get it done instantly and release the expectation of perfection.
These are my five tips for prioritising your health and finding some balance in life.
Simply knowing that your health should be a priority is a great first step and, by following these five tips for busy mums, you’ll be sure to make steady progress.
Plus, if there’s anything that can be a great motivator for busy mums making health a priority, it’s knowing that your acts of self care set a great example for your children.