The life of the working mother is not exactly filled with a massive amount of hours daily that she has to herself. The opposite is usually true as kids will have activities after school which means mom has to go straight from work to pick up a child or teen from practice or a rehearsal. This forces the working mother to make the most out of the little time that she has for herself. Even the smallest amount of time needs to be taken advantage of to recharge your professional and parental batteries. The following are a few ways to make the most of the time you have to relax as a working mother.
Go Somewhere You Love For Lunch
Going somewhere you love for lunch could be getting a sandwich from your favorite deli or even bringing your homemade lunch to a park you enjoy going to. The work day is long so your break should actually be a break rather than eating at your desk while you continue working. You might see an improvement in your productivity after you return as you have been rejuvenated. You can even fight off that after lunch sleepy feeling by grabbing a cup of coffee with lunch. Never underestimate the mood improving power of caffeine or eating somewhere you genuinely enjoy.
Late Night Bath
Taking a nice relaxing bath with a book or relaxing music can be the best 20 to 30 minutes of your day. If you combine this with essential oils, you can add to your relaxation as well as reap the benefits of the oils. The benefits can do everything from relax the muscles to help promote a relaxed mind. There are other benefits as well such as opening up sinuses and even helping with healthy skin. Let your significant other know that this is not the time to bother you but rather this is time that is yours and nobody else’s. If you have a hot tub this can be used as well but it will not help you as much when it comes to the essential oils as they will wash off much easier in this atmosphere.
Reduce Stress At The Gym
The stress from the work day should not be brought home to your family and the gym is the perfect place to get out all of this stress and to quit thinking about work. Exercise will also promote a good night’s sleep which will leave you rested for whatever comes your way the next day. Try a variety of workouts to sede which one works for you and that you enjoy. For some mothers that is yoga while others take a more combative approach with something like kickboxing. Schedule Time For Yourself
Most mothers do not schedule time for themselves although it is more than possible. This could be time in the morning while you are reading the paper or immediately when you get home. Let your family know when you are having time to yourself and most of the time they will respect this. Teenagers will respect this the most as they will want time to themselves without interruption. Anybody who interrupts this time should be interrupted when they are doing something they enjoy. This might seem petty by asking for an hour or half hour a day to be left alone is not too much.
As you can see recharging daily might take a proactive approach as a mother’s alone time is rarely respected. Be the best employee and parent you can be by rejuvenating yourself on a daily basis.
Written by Natalie Bracco for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.