Ever wonder why some moms seem mostly happy and energetic, despite their hectic lives? Well, the secret sauce to those moms’ happiness and energy source is their weekend self-care routine!
Oh yes, most moms won’t talk about it and leave you wondering, but happy and seemingly energetic moms are smart about how they use their 2-day weekend.
As moms, we spend all week taking the kids to soccer, swimming, and basketball practice, ballet classes, and tutoring, no wonder why we make the best out of those 2-day weekends. The weekends are the only times we have to decompress and rejuvenate, considering we have to do it all over again the following week.
As most of you moms may have found out the hard way, the result of constantly being on the go and not taking any time to cater to our needs can be detrimental to our physical health as well as mental health.
That’s why I am going to share with you the weekend self-care routine that we happy and seemingly refreshed moms use to power back up for the week.
But first, you have to remember that the key to having a relaxing weekend is creating a different schedule than what you have during the weekday.
Also, remember that as a mom, “You cannot pour from an empty cup,” If you don’t take care of yourself and your needs, you will most likely not be able to take care of your responsibilities, including your children and your home.
1) Sleep in:
The first thing we happy and perky (LOL) moms do is sleep in on the weekends.
We wake up at 5 or 6 am to get a head start on our day during the weekday. Usually, if we don’t get up this early, we can miss out on having the time to do anything for ourselves. By the time the kids are up, we all know that it’s all about them.
For this reason, we sleep in late on the weekend. We don’t sleep in too late, but instead of working out at 5 am, we try to get to the gym by 7 am while the kids are still asleep.
2) Start the day with water:
Ever heard of “you only have one body, take care of it”? Taking care and replenishing our bodies during the weekend is the primary goal. Because of this, we start drinking water early to detox our bodies. And yes, even though you’re going to have to use the bathroom all day, at least you don’t have any place to be.
3) Workout:
We still work out on the weekends. Exercising is an essential part of a mom’s weekend self-care routine because that is our primary source of preserving our energy. Exercising is an excellent way to maintain and build our strength and good health and also prevent disease. We may miss a workout or two during the weekdays due to unforeseen events with the kid’s schedules, work, etc., but we exercise on the weekend in the event that does happen or to make up for those miss days.
4) Get ready for the day:
We get ready for the day. I don’t mean just brushing our teeth and washing our faces. I mean, we get out of pajamas. Happy moms get prepared for the day by taking an enjoyable shower, getting dressed (casually, ready to go wherever and whenever), doing our hair, and even putting on a little make-up.
5) Maintain our home:
Believe it or not, the space you reside in has a significant effect on your mental health. A clean or dirty home could even signify the state of your mental health. For example, a person who is depressed might have a difficult time getting chores done such as making the bed, opening the curtains, doing laundry, etc.
A clean and tidy home encourages mobility throughout the day, which increases the likelihood of a productive day.
6) We stop to smell the roses:
Although we get it all done, during the week, we’re always on the go go go. During the weekend, you better believe it, we don’t move as swiftly. We take our time to smell the roses and live in the moment.
7) We throw the planner out the window:
I use my favorite planner to get me through during the weekday. However, because I know I don’t have anything particular planned for the weekend, I put my planner away. That’s why I can stop to smell the roses because I don’t have a concrete schedule. As tempting as it may be, please get in the habit of putting your planners away on the weekend.
8) Let the kids make their own fun:
I let my kids do their own thing on the weekend. If it’s nice outside, we’ll go to the park for a long walk, but we’re not in any hurry to get back home. But for the most part, it’s free play, and my kids choose what they want to do.
9) We maintain our social life:
On the weekend, happy moms catch up with their girlfriends. Motherhood and parenthood are not healthy when done alone. As precious and cute as they are, these kids will drive you to one of the psychiatric hospitals I worked at if you keep everything bottled up inside.
If you don’t have friends or other moms friends to talk to and let loose with when you get a chance, you’re going to become overwhelmed with anything and eventually everything. And when that happens, it’s not good for anyone, especially if you have young children who start chatting from the time they wake to the time they go to sleep. Oh yeah, and your husband, you don’t want to take everything out on him either.
10) We read books:
We read as much as we can or time will allow. Reading books keep our minds sharp. We are around tiny humans all day, and sometimes with very little adult interaction. When we read, we enter into an adult world that we would not have otherwise.
11) Maintain our appearance:
You’ve heard it before, “When you look good, you feel good.” I mean, so much happens during the week that makes us question our abilities and competencies as mothers. Sometimes our self-confidence and self-esteem are what get us through those difficult moments.
12) Journal:
Journaling helps us to make sense of our thoughts and daily experiences. A lot of things make a lot more sense when we write them in a journal. In trying to find a way to explain what happened to the journal as if it were a person, we get more clarity from our experiences, which can be beneficial in every area of our lives.
13) We have an outlet:
Many of the things I have mentioned may seem like an outlet, but they’re not. You’ll find that every happy and satisfied has an outlet. Something that they enjoy and do almost every day. It may be watching a movie every night, a favorite show, playing solitaire, taking a bath, etc. This outlet is usually put to practice at the end of every day and brings a significant amount of satisfaction.
In addition to all of these weekend self-care practices…
We always make sure to have a power breakfast in the morning. A nutritious breakfast is what will give us our first dose of energy to start the day. During the week, we might not have had the time to eat a full breakfast, but during the weekend, we live a little with a side of turkey bacon (LOL).
They may not all go in this exact order, but these are some of the most common practices of happy and seemingly rejuvenated moms on the weekends.
