Prioritising Self-Care – 23 Unique Ways for ‘Me Time’ as a Mum 

As a busy mom, finding time for myself is about as likely as stumbling on a unicorn dancing the macarena. Between taxiing the kids to 50 million activities, constantly picking up rogue socks around the house, and keeping up with a job, my own needs get tossed to the bottom of the priority pile. But prioritising self-care, and my mental health, is just as important as meeting my family’s needs. 

Considering this is a blog that’s categorised in the beauty realm I’m sure it’s not a stretch to assume it also brings you enjoyment, like it does me, but we all know as a mum how nearly impossible it is to find time for this pleasure.

If we’re not careful we could end up forgetting how to put mascara on, something we wouldn’t leave the house without BC (Before Children).

We can’t pour from an empty cup, amirite? So in this article, I want to share some of my best tips and tricks for carving out snippets of “me time” for us to prioritise self-care. Trust me, if I can manage to get away to read a magazine and a cup of tea without the world imploding, anyone can!

From scheduling sacred solo appointments to bargaining with your kids for screen time, I’ll provide some fun, creative suggestions to help make prioritising self-care an important component amidst the craziness of daily life.

My goal is to encourage you to experiment with different ideas so you can discover and prioritize what works best for your unique situation. With some creativity and commitment, you can find ways to nourish your mind, body and soul despite the demands of motherhood.

Have a read of this post on unravelling and resolving the hidden barriers to self-care. It might just convince you how important prioritizing yourself is for us mums. Also, this post gives you a plethora (30, in case you’re wondering) of quick and cheap self-care activities.

Let’s jump straight in!

Related Posts:
– QUICK AND CHEAP SELF-CARE: 30 ACTIVITIES FOR MUMS TO ELEVATE OUR WELL-BEING
– UNRAVELING AND RESOLVING THE HIDDEN BARRIERS TO SELF-CARE BLISS

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1. Prioritising Self-Care by Taking Advantage of Nap Times

I’m sure you heard the advice when you had a newborn of “sleep when the baby sleeps”. Most mums I’ve chatted to about this all agree that is virtually impossible, partly because it feels like the baby never sleeps, but mostly because during this period you just have to keep the house from collapsing around you. 

As time goes on you get into more of a routine and the nap times become more defined – especially when they reach the toddler and preschooler age. 

Using some of that time for prioritising self-care is an obvious consideration.

2. Plan Your Chores Ahead of Time

Thinking about those nap times, I used to use this time with kids to deal with the laundry, get dinner prepped or admin-type stuff, but I soon realised this was valuable time I could be using for prioritising self-care, even if I used half of the nap time.

Yes, the laundry still had to get done and the dinner still had to be prepped, but I planned ahead and got chores done, quickly, while my son was up and entertaining himself, therefore leaving with less stuff I had to do when he was asleep.

For more help on organising your chores and daily to-do’s, have a look at this post here

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3. Try Meal Planning

Planning your meals for the week also saves you time (and money) in the long run. Social media can be a big help here.

Yes, it takes a bit of time investment when you do the planning, but the peace of knowing you haven’t got that heart-sinking daily moment of asking “What am I doing for dinner tonight?” and the resulting trip to an expensive local M&S store (holding my hands up here).

That planning time is so worth it. Use that time wisely and try prioritising self-care instead.

4. Utilise Online Grocery Shopping

Not long ago my school mum friends and I got around to a conversation about online grocery shopping. One of the mums commented on how she has been considering doing this herself and the poor thing was met with a chorus of “What?” from the rest of us.

It had never occurred to any of us that there was a stressed working mum in our midst who was not using online grocery shopping. I mean, why would you not?!

The time and energy you save not having to wrangle the kids at the store becomes bonus “me time”. The small delivery charge (which you’ve saved by not using your petrol) is worth every penny.

5. Allow the Kids Screen Time

Yes, I know….highly controversial, but let me remind you that if you are struggling, you will be a better mum if you get that refreshment due to the kids spending time on a screen.

I know for myself the guilt of shouting and losing it with my kids is much worse than the guilt of them having half an hour with an iPad, while I have some peaceful time with a cuppa and a magazine

These days there are so many great educational apps for kids. My youngest used Khan Academy Kids during lockdown (we renamed the iPad the “Sanity Pad” back then).

Now that he’s in Year 2 at school he’s meant to go on a few apps anyway for his maths and English homework (TT Rockstars and SpellingFrame – I’ve no idea if they cost though as we have access to them through school)

I’m afraid it’s the way of the world now, and if they’re not yet already, it’s only a matter of time before they’re teens and it’s part of their life.

Prioritising self-care at times like these, we will have a happier home for everyone.

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6. Get Up Before the Kids

This was never something I could manage, despite something I aspired to! I read about special meditative times at what is considered the best time of the day, but I just could not get my butt out from under my duvet.

So, from what I’ve heard, mornings before the kids wake up can be a peaceful oasis and a chance to start your day with calm rather than chaos. Set your alarm 30-60 minutes early and use that time to read, pray, journal, stretch, or just sip tea while looking out the window. 

Resist the urge to fill it with chores – this is your sacred time. It may mean going to bed a bit earlier (another reason I always failed at this), but I’m sure you’ll find it will all be worth it.

7. Get the Kids to Bed Earlier

An alternative to finding your time in the morning is to find your time in the evening. If your kids go down nice and early, set some of that evening time aside for you.

If the evenings are a struggle, firstly know that as they get older it gets easier (at least my teens no longer run around with their pants on their heads!!), but secondly, have a look at your routine and see if there is any way it can be tweaked to be quicker.

My eldest’s 59-point bedtime checklist was certainly something I could have worked on…..

8. Prioritising Self-Care By Getting Enough Sleep

I’m afraid there’s no getting around it, getting our beauty sleep is prioritising self-care. While there are so many outside influences that affect the quality of our sleep, we can control when we go to bed.

Have you ever heard of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination? This is when we sacrifice sleep for personal time…..guilty!!

According to sleepfoundation.org, it’s a decision “driven by a daily schedule lacking in free time”. The article mentions those most affected by this are people who have high-stress jobs and work long hours – isn’t that being a mother?!

It’s so understandable – when the kids are in bed, we don’t want to accept that time on our own has come to an end, by going to bed ourselves.  

Have a read of the article here

You don’t need me to tell you the consequence of not getting enough sleep…….

9. Prioritising Self-Care As Your Bedtime Routine

So, you now know you should not squeeze in another episode of Stranger Things (guilty again….I did it last night!!), so why not incorporate your bedtime routine, specifically the skincare part of it (I’m not meaning making the dog have his last pee for the night part of it!) with your self-care?

I’m going to sing the praises of skincare as a form of prioritising self-care, this is a beauty blog after all, and the beauty of it is we can partake in it twice a day. 

A regular skincare routine provides both mental and physical benefits. The act of caring for your skin is a mindful, meditative practice that can lower stress and anxiety. Massaging your face when applying serums or creams forces you to slow down and be present. It’s a tactile way to show yourself compassion. 

Attentively nourishing your skin reinforces self-love and acceptance, countering the negative self-talk many of us face. When you care for your skin, you send yourself the message that you deserve to be cared for.

Additionally, the visible improvements in skin texture and appearance can enhance self-esteem, giving you a positive self-image.

You’re heading to bed anyway, so just get going slightly earlier than you need to and enjoy your time with your lotions and potions!

You can have a look at my evening routine here – you’ll see how ensure I make time for my skincare within the comings and goings of a normal family.

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10. Prioritising Self-Care With a Little Deception

Yeah, I’m going there! 

In desperation, there were times I pulled the deception card. The most effective one was when they were old enough to tell the time, I got them in bed an hour earlier than normal by changing all the clocks to be an hour later.

Nope, I don’t feel guilty – they got a nice early night while I was taking care of myself….. Win-win!

11. Schedule Weekly “Me Time” Appointments

Treat yourself to regular “me time” by putting it in your calendar just like other obligations. Mark out set times each week when you get a sitter and escape for an hour or two just for you.

Keep it standing in your schedule no matter how busy life gets. Scheduling it demonstrates that your needs matter too. Over time you may find that other less essential appointments get removed, but this one stays sacred. 

Plan for what most rejuvenates you – then make and keep that weekly commitment to yourself.

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12. Delegate the Chores

You have 6 chores to do before you can sit down. Do all 6 and you’ll not get much of that time, if any. Give a chore each to your two kids and one to your other half and you’ll be left with 3……and some ‘me time’. Simples!!

Well if only it was as simple as that for me. Learn from my mistakes – get the kids into the habit of doing chores and helping out from a young age and then you won’t fight as they get older. 

And don’t worry about perfection (you really won’t get it!)  – the goal is just to lighten your load.

13. Find Quick and Healthy Meals

Get yourself a slow cooker – they’re amazing. Just shove all the ingredients in the pot and switch it on. They even have packets that contain the flavourings of the meal, like the herbs and spices, that you just mix with the liquid. They really couldn’t be easier.

My family have annoyingly gone off slow cooker meals, so I now use a large oven-proof casserole dish and do the same as I would with a slow cooker. It needs to be low and slow in the oven, but it can’t be left for as long as you can with a slow cooker (I don’t go longer than 3 hours generally). 

…..and for goodness sake, don’t follow the slow cooker recipe of pre-browning/searing everything – I’m sure the flavour will be marginally better but the goal is to throw it all in to allow you to prioritize yourself for a bit

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14. Batch Cook Some Meals

Seriously, I swear by this…..it is life-changing. 

If you’re making a meat bolognaise sauce, double the recipe – it doesn’t take you any longer and you’re doing the job anyway. 

Get some large freezer bags and put half the finished meal in one of them. Lay it out flat and pop it in the freezer (remember to mark on the bag what it is). 

Voila! You have a tasty home-made meal, for the whole family, ready to defrost on another day when you need some downtime and a day off cooking 

I try and do this once a week and always have a bank of meals in my freezer. I’ve even been able to gift friends with a meal at short notice when they need the downtime.

Check out The Batch Lady – she has plenty of recipes and more advice on how to do this. I discovered her first on YouTube and have been following her enough to know it was worth spending out on her cookbook. She taught me everything I know!

15 Turn Chores Into Self-Care

So, you’ve got to cook dinner and ideally, you want it to be a tasty and healthy homemade meal. Why not change you’re mindset and take cooking up as a hobby?

If you don’t feel that confident cooking, learn! There are a million and one videos that can teach you on YouTube for free. I did this myself quite a few years ago when I realised I had many, many years of dinners to make ahead of me. 

Now I love cooking! I have my favourite programmes on Food Network, that I get totally inspired by. Pioneer Woman, Bearfoot Contessa, Miss Brown and Mary Berry are some of my favourites.

Watching their creations makes me eager to recreate, so I regularly have a menu plan for the week that I look forward to making.

What about dog walking? That’s a chore that has to be done, so find a beautiful park or woods somewhere and enjoy the peace and beauty of nature. You are also prioritizing your health with this.

Does your house need a good declutter and reorganise? Could you learn to enjoy the process of clearing out and organising? Again, there are a plethora of videos to inspire you on YouTube and Pinterest.

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16. Use Those Fish Fingers

I do like to cook my family homemade food, but I have let go of my perfectionism and have the odd day when I raid the freezer for ready-made meals and carrot sticks. I’ve given myself some me-time when I normally would be cooking dinner.

When I say the odd day, I mean one day a week. Coincidentally, that also happens to be my favourite day of the week….no idea why?!

17. Forcing The Time

Sometimes you’ve just got to force the time. Hopefully, if you take on board how important it is to prioritise self-care, this will be something you’ll get into the habit of doing if you need to. 

If you’re busy with jobs around the house when the kids are at school, try downing tools 10-15mins before having to leave to pick them up (the kids, not the tools!)

Just do it!! Most things can wait. Don’t forget to set an alarm on your phone though just in case those eyelids get heavy – yeah, I’ve been there!

If the kids are old enough tell them you need some quiet time to yourself and go lie down for half an hour. Make sure they know unless it’s life or death, you are out of bounds.

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18. Swap Playdates

Guaranteed you’re not the only mum at school who should be prioritising self-care. I would also hazard a guess that the parents of your child’s best friends are in that category. 

Sort out an arrangement in which you take it in turn for your kids to go to each other’s house for a playdate and dinner. Bonus points if you manage to arrange a playdate for each of your kids at the same time.

Just don’t forget to return the favour.

19. Just Do Less

Who among us is going to get to the end of our lives and say we wished we had spent more time cleaning the house? Does everything need to be cleaned? Does it matter if you leave the dusting for a week?

I once knew someone who only cleaned up to the height of whoever was coming around. Love it!! We always joked she had quite short friends. 

This may not be an option for everyone but maybe occasionally employing a cleaner will work for you. A recent Harvard Study showed that truly happy people spend money to get time rather than those who spend time to get money

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 20. Learn To Say No To Optional Activities

I know this is a tough one for many of us, but the demands of kids’ schedules can easily overrun your whole life if you don’t set limits. 

FOMO is real for us with our kids – if we don’t squeeze in those Go Karting lessons maybe our son is not going to get the opportunity to be the next Lewis Hamilton, even though we’re working on him being the next Adam Peaty, Harry Kane, Joe Roots, Ed Sheeran and Bear Grylls. 

We’re at risk of exhausting ourselves and our kids too. And that’s just with the kids schedules……

It’s okay to say no to extra responsibilities that add unnecessary stress. If you’re anything like me you’ll only end up spending your whole time apologising for doing a half-arsed job!

21. Explain the Need For Prioritising Self-Care With the Family

Openly communicate your need for regular “me time” with loved ones so they understand. Explain that this will help you destress and reconnect so that you can be fully present when you’re together. Assure them you’ll be back refreshed. 

Maybe even schedule some special family time right after your break as an incentive. If they know solo activities renew your spirit, they’ll be more cooperative about giving you space. 

Have a read of this post which unravels and resolves barriers to self care. It explains exactly why self care is so important for us and our families.

Getting on the same page reduces conflicts.

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22. Use Multi Purpose Skincare Products

I’m circling back to skincare with this one……I’ve just got to – it is a skincare and beauty blog after all!

Have you come across multi-purpose skincare products yet? Think tinted moisturisers well updated.

Multi-purpose skincare refers to products that combine multiple skincare benefits and treatments into one. Rather than requiring separate serums, creams, and lotions for each skin concern, multipurpose products are designed to tackle multiple issues at once.

They usually contain multiple useful ingredients that address a variety of skin concerns. The best multi purpose skincare products do the working out for you on what ingredients work best together for a specific skin complaint. For example, niacinamide with retinol work well together for ageing concerns.

You may well be using skincare as your way to prioritise self care (fist bump!), and in which case go for it girl, but if you are wanting to streamline your morning routine you could try giving these products a try. They work like a dream!

If I had to pick my favourite, despite it being a struggle, I would pick the Evolve Gentle Cleansing Melt – luscious! It is a makeup remover, cleanser, face mask and scalp treatment all in one. You can get this product by following the links here:

If you want 15 more ideas (well 14, I’ve just given you one of them on the list!) then head over to this post here.

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23. Turn Off Your Screens During Your “Me Time”

Unless of course, you’re using your phone for your “me time”!

WhatsApp is a blessing and a curse. I seem to be in approximately 34,725 groups and I feel sometimes that my phone never stops pinging. 

Staying constantly tethered to work and obligations even during “off” hours can sabotage your prioritising self-care time.

Permit yourself to disconnect temporarily! Switch your devices to aeroplane mode so pings don’t distract your attention. Let calls go to voicemail and remind yourself emails can wait. 

Boundaries with technology are crucial. Don’t let digital distractions defeat the purpose of renewing activities. Fully unplug and be present……and prepare yourself for the barrage of messages when you switch it back on!

Well, if you’ve made it this far, at least you got a few minutes of “me time” reading my ramblings! I hope this article has provided some realistic ideas to help with prioritizing self care amidst the controlled chaos of mum life. I think many of us forget how to prioritize self care when we become mums

Even small ways of caring for yourself can make a big difference towards learning to prioritize mental health – self care and mental health are closely related after all.

With regular practice, prioritising self-care will start to feel more natural. You’ll notice positive effects on your mood, health, relationships and ability to juggle it all. Soon self prioritization will simply become part of your routine.

Remember, you’re not being selfish by taking time for yourself. In fact, it makes you a better caregiver when you take breaks to recharge. Self-care allows you to approach motherhood with more patience, energy and joy instead of feeling like a zombie. 

I know it’s still a constant balancing act between looking after others and ourselves. But do try out a few of these suggestions for carving out space just for you.

You are worthy of that time – even if it’s just 10 minutes to sip a hot cup of coffee in silence. Once you learn to prioritize yourself, your family will benefit from having a happier, healthier mum and role model. And you’ll be reminded of the strong, resilient superwoman you are beneath the busyness of life.

Now go take a bubble bath or eat a piece of chocolate – you’ve earned it! Before you do though, please do let me know if you think you’ll find any of these helpful. Can you think of any other way to find time to prioritise yourself? If you want plenty more ideas for self care activities, don’t forget to head over to this post.

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