3 Ways to Fuel up for Moms Running on Empty

It’s late and the house is quiet.My mom took the girls for the night and so I’m enjoying some quality time with my husband and looking forward to going to sleep knowing that I won’t have to get out of bed all night. Sleeping in..snuggling..no breakfast to make for hungry babies…coffee on the deck with hubby in the late morning sun… So nice. So nice for a day and a night. Then I am ready to have them back. I miss them by that time and can then go another month or so until back to grandma’s they go so I can have another day of mental and physical recharging.

We are always recharging our electronics aren’t we? Our cell phones, batteries and other things. They need to be recharged. Moms are like batteries. We can burn brightly for awhile on full strength energy, but then slowly the light starts to fade and we slow down. That’s our sign that it’s time to refuel.

Everyone has different ways of recharging, but the point is that you make time to do it. Otherwise you have burn out. And then it takes longer to recover after that. Or you make yourself sick and acquire health problems you never would have had if you had just taken care of yourself from the beginning. No one is winning Mom of the Year Award for running themselves to the ground. Your family needs you to be healthy and mentally sound. They need you to be a strong mom. A sane mom.

Here are three things your can do to recharge:

• Child- free night-There’s something about knowing you’re alone in the house..it’s a mental break. You can go to sleep knowing you won’t be called on in the wee hours of the night, though if you’re like me, you wake up anyway. If you don’t have anyone to leave the kids with that you trust then take turns with your husband a couple hours a week so you both can have some time that’s child-free. 
• Relax, it’s OK–  set aside some time in the evenings or during nap time to do something that you find relaxing. Take a hot bath, watch a short comedy, read, journal, go for a walk, have a nice drink. Relaxing is good.
• Mom’s night out– once a month (or every couple months) go out with some other moms. Every now and then it’s good to not be a mom for a few hours. Even if it’s just to remind yourself how much you like being a mom and how much you love your babies, because you’ll probably just think about them the whole time anyway and wonder how they’re doing!

I know I talk about the importance of getting time to relax or take a break in some of my other blog posts, but it’s SO important. As a mom who likes to get stuff done and check things of my to-do list so I can feel a sense of accomplishment, I know how hard it is to actually not do those things when I have some time to spare. I understand how bad it can get when you don’t put “mom recharge time” on that list.

If you’re like me and have a hard time remembering to schedule in “me time”, get an accountability person to remind you, or write a specific time on the calendar and make a plan so there’s no excuses. Or if you’re not much of a planner, then just make sure you take advantage of the opportunities as they come your way.

Like this weekend when my mom had the girls at her house while I had an appointment, and then she offered to keep them for over night. So they slept in their clothes and it wasn’t all planned out..who cares!! Just make sure you’re plugging in when you need to!

What are some of your ways to relax and recharge?

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