Self care ideas for busy mums that take 30 minutes or less

Last Updated on November 15, 2024

Making time for self-care is important for mums, and is a great way to avoid mum burnout and mum guilt.

If you’d like to start practicing self-care, here are some self-care tips, and some self-care ideas that take 30 minutes or less, so you can add some balance into your life.

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What is self-care?

Self care is essential for your well being, and it’s not something you should feel guilty about doing.

Self care is anything that makes you feel good mentally or physically, and can include anything and everything from taking your vitamins, eating healthily, taking a bath, taking a nap, and for some people, me included, getting things off your to do list or decluttering.

I consider decluttering as a form of self care for me, because whenever I feel frustrated or overwhelmed it’s amazing how much better I feel once I declutter or reorganise something, which just shows that self care is different for everyone.

Self-care tips

Here are some self-care tips that you can try to make sure you make time for yourself.

Practice it daily

To ensure self-care becomes a priority, and even a habit, practice it daily.

You could start with 5 minutes of self-care a day, then build on the amount of time you give it.

Or you could break your self-care time up over the day. For example, you could do 5 minutes of self-care 3 times a day, which gives you 15 minutes of self-care that day.

You could also do something the same time each day, like before your kids wake up, or as part of your morning routine.

Have realistic time expectations

Be realistic about the amount of time you can dedicate to self-care, and make sure you choose a self-care activity that fits into the time you have.

For example, if you have 5 minutes, choose a quick self-care activity, such as reading, journal writing, enjoying a hot beverage, listening to a podcast, or having a shower.

If you plan to do a self-care activity that takes longer than the time you have, you’ll become disheartened when it doesn’t happen, and may stop doing self-care all together.

Treat self-care as an appointment

Treat self-care in the same way as you would a doctor, dentist, or any other appointment, which means putting it into your calendar and not cancelling it.

Make a commitment to spend the time you’ve allocated to yourself happen.

Choose a self-care activity you love

Another self-care tip for mums is to choose one of the self-care activities for busy mums that you know you’ll love and enjoy.

Doing a self-care activity that’s popular, or that you think you should be doing, results in you not enjoying your time to yourself, or getting the full benefits from it.

Also, don’t judge what you love to do as self-care. For example, one of my favourite self-care activities, which many people may question, is doing a home declutter project.

Decluttering may not seem like self-care to others, but for me it’s the ultimate form of self-care, because having a decluttered space helps me stay sane and feel calmer, which to me is self-care.

Let go of perfectionism

Self-care for mums also means letting go of perfectionism, the idea that we need to be perfect at everything.

Letting go of high expectations you have of yourself is essential to your wellbeing, and how you take care of yourself.

In addition to mental wellness, physical health plays a big role. One way to support this is through intramuscular wellness injections, which can help boost energy and overall wellness.

Stop the comparison trap

There are many opportunities to compare our lives to others, and when we do this we can feel inadequate, less than, or pressured to add even more to our to do lists, which lessens the amount of time you dedicate to yourself.

Self-care ideas

Here are some self care ideas that will have you feeling great in no time.

• Call a friend
• Declutter
• Do a brain dump
• Do a digital declutter
• Do a face or hair mask
• Do some journaling
• Do some yoga or stretch
• Give yourself a face massage
• Have a sweet treat
• Light a candle
• Listen to a podcast
• Listen to your favourite song
• Make a healthy lunch
• Make appointments for upcoming health checks
• Meditate
• Moisturise your hands or face
• Open the blinds and let some fresh air in
• Organise a drawer
• Paint your nails
• Read a book or a magazine
• Sit and do nothing
• Sit outside with a hot drink
• Spend time on your hobbies
• Take a bath or a nap
• Take a hot shower
• Take a walk
• Take some deep breaths
• Wash your face
• Watch your favourite TV show
• Watch YouTube
• Write 3 things you’re grateful for that happened throughout the day

Self-care for mums – a recap

Making time for any of these self care ideas is time well spent, the more time you make for self care, the better you’ll be at finding more time for it, and the better you’ll feel mentally and physically.

What self care ideas will you try?