10-Minute Self-Care Ideas For Busy Moms For a Happier Life

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Do you have 10 minutes a day? Good! Because I have 10-minute self-care ideas for busy moms that can change your life!

If you don’t have 10 minutes, I highly encourage you to wake up 10 minutes earlier or let something go

Without some time for you,

Even if it is only 10 minutes,

You risk mommy burnout.

Which will harm you and everyone around you in the long run

Not taking time to recharge results in:

• Absentmindedness
• Exhaustion
• Crankiness
• Being snappy
• General unhappiness
• Not wanting to play with your kids
• And more

All the parts of motherhood that we beat ourselves up over are either caused or worsened by not taking care of ourselves

So let’s prioritize spending 10 minutes a day to be the best version of us that we can be

Is self-care really needed for moms?

Yes! Self-care is needed for moms!

There are few jobs in life where you are working 24/7 with another human that does not know how to be a functional human

And it is our job to keep them alive!

Being a mom is stressful, constant, and underappreciated

According to Motherly’s 2021 survey, 93% of mothers are feeling burnt out

That is terrifying!

But also not surprising

It has become common, and even expected, that moms do EVERYTHING

Except take care of themselves

Where a shower is a luxury

And everyone wonders why most mothers are burnt out!

What is mom burnout?

Now that I have gotten carried away,

Let’s take a step back

What is mom burnout?

Because of the survey, I expect it is something you have experienced!

Burnout is from continuous stress

It leaves you exhausted, mentally and physically

It takes the joy out of being a mother

And you lose every sense of who you are

If you want to know more and how to recover, check out this post

How can a busy mom stay healthy?

As a mom of twin boys and a business owner

I completely understand being busy

And it is so easy to become unhealthy when every day runs at a million miles per hour

But I promise that it is possible

If you can plan for eating well

And take 10 minutes a day for self-care

You will see a huge difference in your life

Thirteen 10-minute self-care ideas for busy moms

Now that we have established how important this is, let’s get into some 10 minute self-care ideas for busy moms!

Remember that these are just ideas

If you can think of something that will give you life and energy…

Do it!

But if you have no idea where to start,

Here are some ideas

Try everything for at least a week before determining if it helps or not

New skills and habits take time and practice,

So give each one you try a fair shot!

1. Morning or night meditation

Meditation is so powerful!

But can be hard to do when kids are awake

I encourage you to do it either before kids wake up or after they are in bed

Often times, I love doing this before I go to sleep because I fall asleep fast and sleep amazing!

I like to jump on YouTube and find a guided meditation

The more you do this, the less you need the guidance

But I encourage you to start with some help 

Just like everything in life, you will have to learn and practice to get better

2. Quick, effective, fun exercise

The goal here is not to lose a ton of calories or lose weight

It is to feel better 

So do something you enjoy!

I have a dance workout and yoga that I love

I am spending 15 to 20 minutes a day working on my splits and handstand

But this can easily be done in 10 minutes!

Once again, search YouTube and try some things out!

3. Listen to music

When you are feeling good, make a feel-good playlist

I say to wait until you feel good because I tend to make playlists that match my mood

If I am feeling down and depressed, my playlist follows

And makes my mood worse

So make sure that the music gives you life and energy!

Even make yourself move to the music

I know that my high-energy music helps bring me back when I am struggling!

4. Get Artsy

Do you enjoy DIYing or getting artistic?

This is a great way to take care of yourself!

10-Minute Self-Care Ideas For Busy Moms doesn’t give a lot of time, but you can do a little

Do a couple of rows of crochet

Or draw a sketch

Spend a little time doing art that will give you life and energy back!

5. Connect with a local mom group

One of the major struggles in motherhood is the loneliness

If you work, then you feel different and excluded

If you are staying at home, you never see adults except at the grocery store

One thing you can try is building a mom group!

I have a biweekly playgroup with my kids

A couple of local moms bring their kids and we just spend time together

The kids are occupied and I am spending time with people my age

To fit this in our 10 minutes, have a group chat ready!

You can vent or talk about what is happening

Having these friends can make motherhood feel a lot less alone

6. Be mindful of your eating habits

It can be easy to get so busy that nutrition is forgotten

But we would expect our car to function if we put water in instead of gas!

Take a little time to plan out meals and make sure that you are getting the nutrition needed to function

Just this can make you feel so much better every day!

Another option is to check what you are low in and take supplements

Getting everything we need from food is getting harder and harder

And supplements are a great option when done right

7. Treat yourself

This one is easier for some moms are harder for others

This is something I struggle greatly with

I don’t like to spend money on myself,

But secretly hope my husband buys something I want

Working through the guilt of treating myself and seeing myself as worth it has been a tough journey for me!

But this is something that can make an impact

Preferable treating yourself to something that will recharge your batteries a little

8. Get lost in a podcast

We have never-ending cleaning as mothers!

That chore becomes a little easier when we put a podcast on

This is a good idea for the mothers that are struggling with the idea of doing something just for them

It is a good first step!

Being able to listen to a podcast WITHOUT working at the same time

That is more helpful for self-care but doesn’t work for everyone

I struggle to just listen to something

So I often watch videos instead

9. Practice gratitude

Did you know that the brain CAN NOT feel fear and gratitude at the same time?

So by starting every day with gratitude, you are making fear harder to enter your life

There is always something to be grateful for

Try to think of three things every morning!

And change them

Don’t be grateful for your kids, ice cream, and coffee every day

Expand your mind and search for the things to be grateful for

This can change your life

10. Re-center with your goals

It can be very easy to lose sight of your goals as mom

The more you let your goals go, the more you start to lose yourself

What do you want in life?

Set goals and achieve them!

Don’t forget you are a person outside of being a mother as well

11. Drink water

The brain starts struggling greatly when it is dehydrated

And we often mistake hunger and dehydration

So take a few minutes and drink some water

It will make you feel better mentally and physically!

No, coffee or carbonated drinks do not count

12. Light a candle with sound therapy

Candles are very therapeutic for me

I love the sound, sight, and smell of candles

They remind me of some happy childhood memories

I love them even more when paired with sound therapy

You can find these on YouTube

Look up “396 Hz solfeggio frequency” or “528 Hz solfeggio frequency” on YouTube

396 Hz has a cleansing effect and 528 is known as the love frequency

They sound nice and help you feel better!

13. Scream into a pillow

Sometimes, a nice scream is needed!

Whether that is into a pillow or just outside 

I live in the middle of nowhere so outside isn’t a big deal

But if you live in town, the pillow might be a better option

That release of pressure feels amazing

And you generally feel better after!

Ask for help

Remember that you are the only one expecting superwoman

If someone else is expecting the impossible from you, they are not healthy for you

It is ok to ask for help!

My husband is amazing but is not very observant

It took years to realize that I have to ask for help!

He cannot read my mind

Never can the people in your life

Asking for help is a sign of strength and bravery

I know it is hard…

But I believe in you!

Remember that you are allowed to have bad days

Even with all the self-care and help in the world,

There will be bad days

Or what I like to say…

Bad moments

It is pretty rare that an entire day is bad

So by calling it a bad moment, it gives me the option to start over when that moment is done

You are allowed to have bad moments

Everyone does

That does not make you a bad person or a bad mom

It makes you human

10-Minute Self-Care Ideas For Busy Moms makes those bad moments less powerful,

But that mindset helps even more