Parenting is hard. Add in a full time job and chaos is sometimes an understatement. Let’s have a moment of silence for working moms, we need me time too!
Let me start by staying I love my job! I transitioned from a teacher, to a stay at home mom, to now a full time blogger four years ago and I cannot imagine doing anything else. That doesn’t mean I don’t need a break from time to time….quite frankly I deserve one. I work VERY long hours, pretty much seven days a week (social media never sleeps), and although I’m truly passionate about what I do I still need some ME time. Special thanks goes out to Yoplait for sponsoring this post so we could chat together today.
Let’s have a moment of silence for working moms everywhere, appreciate all that they do, and talk about a few easy ways we can decompress!
After weeks and weeks of putting in 110% at your job, balancing kid’s schedules, making dinners, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and trying to have a bit of alone time with your partner….it’s time to stop and think about yourself for a moment.
Let’s talk about taking a break shall we!
Close the door – You need uninterrupted time for just you. When was the last time you drew a bath for yourself, blasted those 80’s songs you love so much (or just enjoyed the silence), and thought about absolutely NOTHING??? Seriously…..do it now. I walk past it every day when getting ready, but the other day I dove in to enjoy some solitude for just about 20 minutes and I was a different and more patient mom and wife when I was done. 😉
Do something you love – Are you a book worm but can’t remember the last time you flipped a page, are you a crafter, writer?? Find a group of others who love the same thing, or create a group yourself! If you can create a “meeting” once a month, rotate houses so everyone hosts, and do what you love together (and chat while you’re at it).
Schedule an appointment with YOURSELF – Pick a day and time you think will work best and schedule a reminder in your phone! Set it to repeat once a week and have an alarm to go off to remind you to stop and decompress (the only way I remember what’s important and needs to get done)! You deserve it. After once or twice your partner and kids will understand that you’re taking some “mom time”….even 15 minutes sometimes is all you need.
Taking a break doesn’t always mean you need to be alone – If you work full time and have kids you probably know what I mean. Yes we want me time but that doesn’t mean we can’t decompress WITH our kids. This might be a shock but I love spending time with my kids (that’s why I had 3)! When you work full time you don’t see them as often as you might like. Hearing them laugh, watching them play together while relaxing on the sidelines, makes me so happy! Find an activity they enjoy that doesn’t cost a lot, find a shady area to sit, grab a yummy snack like this OUI Yoplait yogurt, and have some me time……together.
Call a friend – You know that friend who you can tell just about anything but you haven’t talked to in a while….because, well, you keep saying you’re too busy…call her!! I guarantee if she works has kids too and she gets it! Gets why you’re exhausted, you feel guilty not spending enough time with your kids, feel out of shape, and just need a break! Guaranteed you’ll both have a good laugh together sharing the annoying coworker moments, the tantrum stories, moments when you found your 2 year old covered in vaseline because you looked away for 2 seconds….believe me, we have all been there. Laughter is so powerful!
Enjoy the sunshine – Since I work from home I get cooped up in my 4 walls and forget that silence is just a few feet away in my backyard. We live in Southern California so our yard is not very big, but just taking my lunch out there and sitting outside in the sunshine (instead of sitting at my desk) sometimes can make all the difference in my attitude. It is great in the evening too when everything is quiet, it’s nice and cool outside, you can sit and relax with a snack, and just decompress from the busy week.
Find a favorite snack that won’t make you feel guilty after you’ve finished it….if you haven’t discovered the new Yoplait OUI yogurt that is out now in these fun glass jars they’re delicious! With the fruit at the bottom (remember that from our childhood), this French style yogurt has no artificial flavors or colors from artificial sources, and is made with non-GMO simple ingredients like milk, cultures, and the yummy fruit flavor of your choice!
What’s more fun than finding the fruit at the bottom is that these glass jars are of course recyclable!
Treat yourself with some ME time soon…let me know what you chose to do! 😉
These are so awesome and they are not expensive. I pay $.75 a jar for them at FoodMaxx.
I love it after a hard day at work it’s better .then ice cream….only it cost is to high but i would pay for it any was ….
Best. Yogurt. Ever!