5 SELF-CARE PRACTICES IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS

There are 1440 minutes in a day, of which 1430 of those minutes are spent changing diapers, feeding, bathing, laundry, cleaning, activity time, sleeping and whatever else your baby, home and work life requires.

Balancing home, family, personal self-care acts and work is hard. Even thinking about it can bring some people feelings of overwhelm.

As a mamapreneur running my dream business, kids yoga teacher, full-time stay at home mom and wife I completely get how you feel.

My secret to keeping my energy, clearing my mind and creative juices and squeezing in that workout to feel good about myself? – I schedule “me” time into my daily planner. 

Women are hardwired to prioritize their families needs above their own.  We can’t give our best to anyone in our life unless we give attention to ourselves first.

Let’s face it, you can’t be a calm, connected and energized mother, woman or wife if you aren’t mothering yourself first. That leads to lack of fulfillment of your own needs, guilt and possibly being burned out.

Without tending to these things regularly, we don’t have any ability to be patient, fully loving and completely in tune to our babies and families. We are simply just give them the raw end of the deal by only showing up 50%. 

When you put yourself as a priority you avoid the burnout feeling the “What about me?” syndrome. When you cultivate space in your life, for Y-O-U, you send a big message to yourself and others that you value and respect your needs. There is nothing more powerful to boost your self-worth and self-love.

Here are 5 ways I incorporate personal self-care acts to rejuvenate my body, mind and soul.

1.Singing/Chanting

Singing your heart out is so liberating, therapeutic and it makes you feel freakin’ happy.  Making up your own jingles or listening to a tune that makes you happy is a great way to shift your energy and get into a light hearted mood.

Now imagine if you sing high vibration Kundalini mantras and songs. It’s like feeling the energy and aliveness you feel when rocking out to Rihanna but multiplying it by 50!

The beauty of singing is you can do it anytime. While cooking, feeding, activity time with your baby. It’s double bonus points if you sing to your baby so they can embrace and soak in the high vibrations. I’m sure your baby will love it as much as mine does.

I play Kundalini songs during changing time, massage time, wind down time and faster songs during play time.

Here are my favorite Kundalini Albums:

Slower Songs:

1.     Kundalini Chillout – Liquid Mantra Remix- by Krishan

Follow me on Spotify at Tejal Patel and you can follow my Ayaan Sleeping Playlist

Faster Songs:

1.     Bhangra Remix- Kundalini Mantra Fusion By Krishan

Follow me on Spotify at Tejal Patel and you can follow my Ayaan Active Playlist

Not into Kundalini music? No worries. Put on your Ipod and jam to the tunes that make you feel happy, energetic, calm based on whatever energy and mood you need to embrace . I love doing this with my little one so he can start listening to the songs I love!

2.Soulful connections

Having a 10 minute conversation with a dear friend or family member is sometimes exactly what you need if you have to vent, share a story about your baby or just talk about something non-baby related that stirs your soul.

We all crave connection with other people. Don’t lose touch with the ones you love, especially the ones who don’t have babies.

It used to bother me when my friend had a baby and all of a sudden thats thats the only thing they can talk about it.  So you have a baby, yes it’s on the forefront of your mind but it doesn’t mean you have to lose interest in the things that you once loved discussing.

In the moments of stress and anxiety, it’s your friends who will make you laugh and get your mind off things.

3.Aromatherapy Oils and Lotions

Essential oils have been so key in shifting my mood quickly. Need energy? Diffuse or smell some peppermint, orange or lemon.  Are you anxious, frustrated or impatient? Get a lavender oil hand lotion. Or get my all time fav stress relieving oil- My favorite – Tara Spa Therapy’s Stress Relief blend. I use it to Reiki myself and hubby. It totally gets me in a zen state of mind.

Something as simple as smelling something refreshing creates balance in your mind, body and spirit.

4.Make Yourself Feel Pretty

I enjoy painting my nails, taking warm showers, epilating and rubbing my feet with peppermint oil. I feel pretty and happy when I do small things to take care of myself. All these tasks may seem secondary when you are a mom, but these routine things are even more important as a mom. It’s about reminding you of the modern woman you were before you became a mod-zen mama.  If you don’t feel groomed or beautiful that carries over into other areas of your life.

Low energy and negative mental self-talk slowly destroys your confidence, peace of mind and happiness. It’s then we get into resentful mode, comparison mode and judgmental mom mode.

What self-care routines do you enjoy? Get clear about it and remember, don’t set yourself up for frustration and failure by thinking you can accomplish all of these or even two things in one day. To be balanced you want to schedule on thing per day. So the next time your baby takes a nap, take 10 minutes for yourself.

5. Get Fresh Air

Granted this will depend on what time of the year you give birth, but even if its cold outside, to take in a deep breath of fresh air is rejuvenating for your body and mind. It’s like connecting to your sweet spot. If the weather is nice, take your shoes off and step on the grass. Close your eyes and ground yourself with the earth.

Connecting with the earth is a great way to release negative and stagnant energy from your body. Take in that fresh air, touch the ground with your feet and feel the breeze on your face.

Your baby will love the fresh air and sounds of nature so you can do a double wammy by taking your little one for a walk.

Small and simple pleasures become a novelty and gain much more appreciation when you are a mom. Do whatever it takes to incorporate one “me” time activity into your schedule daily.

The more you’re connected within, the more present, peaceful and patient you will be with your baby and spouse. This makes for a well-balanced, happy and mindful mama… YOU DESERVE IT!

There you have it. My 5 self-care acts for mamas (even new moms) you can do in 10 minutes or less.

Now I’d love to hear from you!

In the comments below, let me know: What simple ways do you incorporate “me time” while balancing being a modern woman and mama?

Remember to share as much detail as possible because we are always guided to the wisdom and inspiration we need.

So many radiant momma’s read this blog and you may have the advice that someone is seeking.

Thank you so much for making this an empowering, inspiring and loving online community. I can’t wait to hear all your amazing self-care acts.

With loads of love and mindfulness bliss,