Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom.

{This week: Post by Heather}

If you are a new mom I know you read the title of this post and probably had 1 of 2 reactions.

This woman is crazy.

She has got to be kidding me.

Or this hidden 3rd reaction…she obviously doesn’t even have kids!

Trust me when I become a mom self care was the furthest thing from my mind too.

You should have seen the epic eye rolls I would give to other moms who would exclaim it was just as important to take care of myself as it was to take care of my new little one. It was truly one of the most ridiculous things I had heard.

I mean I could barely brush my teeth in the morning. Changing out of my black yoga pants into my other pair of clean black yoga pants was not even manageable some days. And showering seemed like a gift that I was not allowed on days that ended in “y”.

Yeah, so I get it, and more importantly, I get you.

Being the mom of a tiny human is crazy hard. It’s something you can’t even put into words. At times you wonder what happened and how this is your life right now.

Those early days are filled with startling wake-up calls by little lungs that somehow can scream louder than any adult.

Nights spent jiggling and swinging and swaying.

Spare minutes doing yet another load of laundry filled with onesies.

It’s still impossible to me that babies create so much laundry…

I know you’re beyond stressed and that’s why. Despite what you may think, it’s important to practice self care right now as a new mom.

So first let’s talk about exactly what self care is as a new mom.

What is Self Care for New Moms?

I’m sure there are fancy definitions and such out there, but I’m just going to tell you that self care is anything that helps you connect with yourself.

There are different types of self care: physical, emotional and spiritual.

I’ve seen other ones named, but I really think that instead of putting labels on them (because really who has time for that when you’re trying to keep your tiny human alive?) self care is really just an umbrella word to describe connecting with yourself.

It’s anything you do that puts a smile on your face and in your soul.

It’s a way for you to see past all the dirty dishes in the sink and loads of laundry piling up.

It’s a moment to take something you want to do and prioritize it over the unmade bed.

Why is Self Care Important?

As a new mom one of the biggest struggles can be losing yourself in life as a mom. Practicing some form of self care from the beginning can go a long way in helping you not lose yourself and make you a better and happier mom for your child.

And let’s be real when you’re happy everything runs so much smoother in the household. Which leads me to the next important thing you need to know about self care.

When do You Practice Self Care?

This used to be my biggest struggle with practicing self care and still is, the time factor. I tried to do everything as a new mom, and I’m sure you’re trying too. So when exactly would you find the time to connect with yourself?

In the little moments.

I used to get upset when I couldn’t block out a chunk of time. Now I know that self care for new moms can be found in the small moments you get while your baby is laying down for a nap or sitting in their bouncer.

The last thing you should do is stress about the time you have to actually take care of yourself.

So now that we’ve talked about self care what do you do to actually connect with yourself on daily basis?

I’ve included a printable with ideas for self care for the new mom that you can print out and use to remember that self care is important for you everyday. It includes some ideas for what you can do today to start connecting with yourself. View it below and click here to download.

Is self care something you struggle with whether you are a new mom or not? If not, what are your favorite ways to fit in self care?

Heather lives in Florida with her husband, two girls and two pups. She is a lover of most things in life, too many to name here without scaring you, but a few include working out, learning new recipes, Pinterest, organizing (yes, it’s true!), home decor and learning to lead a more minimal and purposeful life.

She started Just Becoming Me as a venture to better understand herself and what will lead her towards a more fulfilling life. Her motto is: “We only have one life, and I want to learn to live mine in a way that gets me excited to jump out of bed.”