20 Self-Care Tips for the Homeschool Mom
by Laura Malone of House on a Hill Blog
What is a strong woman? It’s a buzz phrase we hear on social media and the news. Netflix, Disney, YouTubers and New York Times Bestsellers have spent the last few years highlighting strong women from history and creating new ones for us to admire.
Who comes to mind? Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa, Reese Witherspoon, a neighbor, your mom? We could all name women from the past and present whose stories of strength have touched our lives in some way.
But what makes them strong? I would say it’s their passion, determination, creativity and hope. We admire strong women because they’ve overcome difficulty. They might have lost a few battles, but won the war. They didn’t give up and the world is better because of it.
When I think of strong women, I think of us, the homeschool moms. Our challenges are great, but our hope is even greater. We are women who are passionate about our families, determined to teach them right, creative in how we pull it all together and hope that if we don’t give up, the world will become a better place.
We started the journey strong, but how do we stay strong? How do we wear all our hats from dawn to dusk with love in our hearts? How do we have the energy to deal with math meltdowns and snack spills every day? How do we smile and encourage our son that takes ten minutes to write one. simple. sentence? Burnout creates bitterness and a homeschool built on bitterness crumbles. We have to take care of ourselves if we want to finish strong.
Getting Started
Caring for yourself first requires you to believe you are worth it. Just as your children mean the world to you, you mean the world to God. The Bible tells us He cares for us. If the King of Kings thinks we are worthy, shouldn’t we?
Secondly, understand that He created us as physical, mental and spiritual beings. All three parts complete the whole person. Leaving one of these out is like setting up a tent with a missing pole. While it might be able to stand, it’s not as strong as it was designed to be.
And third, schedule self-care time into your day. It’s more likely to happen if you do. And I’ve found that just having that one little chunk of “me time” to look forward to, reboots my patience and energy so I can finish the next task strong.
20 Self-Care Tips
Post this FREE “Self-Care” Cheat Sheet on your fridge!
Physical Health
1. Get outside every day. The fresh air, sunshine, colors and sounds calm your nervous system, yet energize your mind. And your immune system will thank you.
2. Move it! Enjoy any activity that gets your heart rate up. Studies show that this is the most powerful step to achieving overall health. The increased blood flow sharpens our minds and gives our brains a dopamine bath which wards off anxiety and depression.
3. Fuel up! Feed your body energy boosting, high fiber, low sugar foods throughout the day to help stabilize your mood. Don’t forget the water!
4. Freshen up. While it’s totally unnecessary to style your hair and wear makeup every day, it is important to put on fresh comfy clothes, wash your face and brush your hair. Your little ones may not notice, but you will, and you’re worth the 5 minutes.
5. Follow a sleep schedule. Studies show you sleep better when your body is going to bed and waking up around the same times each day. A sleepy mama can be a creepy mama. ;)
6. Minimize stress. Remove unnecessary things from your day that cause stress such as having the TV on, repeatedly checking the news, trying to respond to social media posts while teaching, allowing tech time for your kids during the school day.
7. Boost your brain. Drink green tea, eat snacks with Omega 3’s, take ten minutes a day to play on a brain boosting app.
Mental Health
8. Positive self-talk. Even the apostle Paul tells us in the Bible to think on what is true, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. (Phil 4:8) Be proud of your efforts and praise God for how He has gifted you.
9. Plan ahead. A good plan sets the mind at ease. Whether it’s setting a daily schedule or identifying family goals, you have an objective and when it’s checked off the list, you have reason to celebrate.
10. Disengage. This is your “clock out” time. It can be worked into any part of the day that is convenient, such as your child’s nap time, tech time or bedtime. Do a hobby, learn something new or simply watch the next episode of your Netflix series. It should be something that is completely unrelated to being mom, teacher and chef.
11. Journal/Process. Take time to write down your thoughts freely as they come. This forces you to process emotions, problems and events in your life that can easily get swept under the rug due to busy schedules. If your don’t enjoy writing, meet with a friend and just talk about your week. As you share, you’ll discover new things about yourself and find solutions.
12. Build outside relationships. Your family is your most important relationship, but they shouldn’t be your only relationships. Make “friend time” a priority. Go for coffee, find a club to belong to and schedule play dates with other homeschoolers.
13. Date Nights. Scheduling a regular date night keeps romance and friendship strong in your marriage. Your spouse is your teammate. Their help and understanding ease your stress. Regular connection without the kids keeps you from the depressing path of simply coexisting.
14. Daily Treat. Choose a couple of quick treats to pamper yourself with to help you persevere through your toughest parts of your day. Afternoon math time can be stressful for me, so I usually make myself and my daughter a chai tea latte before we begin.
Spiritual Health
15. Find fulfillment in being a child of God. While our children, spouse and accomplishments are blessings, they are not intended to be what brings us ultimate fulfillment and joy. They will let us down. And if we lift them higher than they should be, our world crumbles around us when they’re not meeting our expectations. God’s unconditional love is our fulfillment and ultimate joy. When everything around us fails, He never will, and that keeps us strong. Do you believe this?
16. Rely on the Holy Spirit. No matter how lonely you feel sometimes, you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is near and speaking. Train yourself to listen. He is your Comforter, provided by God. He will guide your decisions and work in your children’s hearts the same way He works in yours. Their spiritual growth doesn’t solely rest on you. He is your teammate on this journey.
17. Serve others. Look for simple ways to help those around you that are outside of your immediate family. Send an encouraging note, pass used kids’ clothes to a friend instead of donating it elsewhere, offer to pick up a few necessities at the store for a friend that is sick or just sit and listen to an elderly neighbor’s stories. When we give to others, our hearts are filled and our problems that once seemed so huge, diminish.
18. Forgive. We all have baggage from years past or maybe even from yesterday that we need to leave behind. Confess it to God, forgive yourself and as Dr. David Jeremiah says, leave it in the rearview mirror and move forward. Don’t let the weight of past regrets hold you back from a joyful, abundant life now. Let it go so you can grow!
19. Plug into God, daily. Be disciplined about this. You won’t wake up every day feeling like reading your Bible or praying, but you’ll always be glad you did. And good news! It doesn’t have to look as perfect as the supermom’s on Instagram with her super-cute furniture and color-coordinated journals and highlighters. You can come to Him while nursing your baby, sitting among the mess your toddler made on the floor and scribble notes or turn pages with your free hand. And that will be just perfect to Him.
20. Live in the moment. Write it on your mirror. Pin it on your fridge. Whatever you do, soak up each moment of these days. Give big hugs of excitement when your children finish another book. Study their faces. Know what they’re thinking. Laugh with them, cry with them. Go on adventures. Notice when your husband needs your help and celebrate together. Be present today, so these years don’t evaporate, leaving you only a checked off to-do list and regret.
Click HERE to get a “Self-Care” Cheat Sheet for your fridge.
Closing
Finishing strong doesn’t just happen because we want it to. We have to take steps to care for ourselves, so we can effectively care for others. Our physical, mental and spiritual health determines whether we bitterly drag ourselves through life or enjoy and celebrate the journey along the way. You’re a strong woman and you are worth it!
Which one of these ideas could you add into your day today?
Laura Malone created the House on a Hill Blog to encourage moms on their journey to raising a healthy homeschool family. She and her husband have been homeschool and public school educators for twenty years and have five children. Laura loves green tea, fuzzy robes and hiking through new terrain. You can follow her at House on a Hill Blog, Instagram or join her Facebook Group.