Raise your hand if you just LOSE IT sometimes. I mean spinning head, poltergeist pea soup, flipped out kind of lose your mind. How about this formula: one part screaming child + whining + hunger pains from skipping lunch for a noon meeting + gotta pay bills, do dishes and laundry tonight = lose your noggin! Go ahead and raise your hand, no one will see.
In a given day you give, tend, perform, donate, prepare, promote, soothe, help, share, referee, care, work, pump, cook, clean, but what about what YOU need?
During in our busy days of constant multi-tasking and caring for our minions (we have watched Despicable Me ~294 times) we must find recharge time. Think of recharge time as a quick way to re-energize or calm yourself or change your mood or adjust your attitude. Whatever funk you are in, recharge time will bring you back in balance so you can keep rockin’ your badass working mom-ness. But how?
Recharge time is (sadly) not a day at the spa
While a day at the spa will melt your stress away it’s expensive and takes TIME. You gotta think small, thin slices or POCKETS OF TIME in your day. Much like the pockets of your beloved (or hated depending on what time of month) skinny jeans, these pockets are slim so you gotta take advantage when you can.
Here’s some pockets of time in your work week where you can recharge your gorgeous energy:
- Wake up 5 or 10 min early for the ABCDEs of a morning routine
- Shower, list things you are grateful for instead of running through your day
- Before you start your car up
- Before you get out of your car
- Elevator rides, taking the stairs
- Sipping morning coffee/tea
- Waiting in line
- Potty breaks…sorry but it’s the reality, sometimes this is the only peaceful place
- Moments before a big meeting, class starts, new client, etc.
- Commuting, are you listening to stuff that uplifts you?
- The Holy Grail moment when your child is finally asleep, do you need to watch that show?
- Light a candle before you wash your face
- 5 or 10 min before you go to bed for the FGHIJs of a nightly routine
Ways to recharge in those pockets of time:
- Read/write a poem
- Strike a couple yoga poses
- Call your old friend
- Take one step towards learning a new skill
- Dabble in your hobby or your passion project
- Make a photobook/album
- Listen to a new Pandora channel
- Doodle, or “draw” as I like to refer to it
- Let your man know about a sexy date you wanna take
- Read a page in a new book, or a chapter if you are lucky
- Pray, chant, meditate
- Dance
- Dream
- Nap (I wish!)
- Laugh at something, yourself included
All these ideas don’t involve buying something, planning, checking social media/emails or watching tv for a reason. These are slivers of time where you need to be free to explore, indulge in curiosity or creativity and to simply BE! This is all about treating yourself with the same sort of love and attention that you give to everyone else all day long.
Especially as you transition back to work it’s even harder to find time for yourself with pumping and working and adjusting to the demands after maternity leave. But it’s still important!
What do you do to recharge?
Elaine McGhee is a Working Mom Support Coach who helps new moms confidently return to work after maternity leave and find balance as a working mother. Learn more about working with Elaine (and a taking advantage of her Maybrooks discount, here!)
