Why “Me” Time is Important to be a Happy Mother

I kinda expected how motherhood can be challenging yet rewarding at the same time. But never did I imagine that it could be so hard that having a “me” time would only mean your time spent in the bath. And with my work-from-home set-up, I’m actually having a difficult time separating work life from family life which leads to me having feelings of resentment and sadness. In the process of juggling all the roles I have to fulfil in my life, there’s this one simple thing I need right now—a dedicated “me” time.

I have to admit that there are times when I feel frustrated when I am furious with how my 20-month old son is acting at times. You know, those moments when you couldn’t seem to understand what he wants that’s why he acts up with sudden outbursts because he’s disappointed at something. In the end, both of you will be upset.

This is not how I intended things to be. I hate the person I become when I’m acting up on my son’s mood. I dug deeper and realized that it’s all because of physical and mental exhaustion. This somehow led to my daily musings on how to bounce back to that time when I already perfected the good balance between work and play. And yes, play is very important to have a strong sense of self because we need to have a pastime that will help us reset our moods and senses to become a better and happy mother.

 

I had this feeling before that it would all be too selfish to make yourself a priority sometimes but then, I realized that you cannot give what you don’t have and self-care is never selfish. So here are some of my ideas on how you could squeeze in a regular “me” time on your daily routine.

“Me” Time Ideas

1. Write a Journal (the old school way)

Nowadays, we tend to type or text our thoughts away on our smartphone’s notepad. It’s easy but there’s this nostalgic feeling once you open a journal and start writing or doodling just about anything.


2. Play Five-Minute Games

I usually play simple classic games such as brick games and tetris which sort of acts as a reset when I am overwhelmed at work (in a work-from-home set-up). I found the Arcade Classics genre at Plays.Org to be the best ones online.

 

Pac-Rat at Plays.Org. Feels like Pac-Man!

3. Do some Online (window) Shopping

This can actually be a therapy for some.


4. Take Early Morning Walks

The crisp morning air is always a good reminder that it’s always a blessing to have a brand new day.


5. Read a Book

Whether it’s an e-book or an actual one, the feeling of being transported to another world is a sweet ‘escape’.


6. Start a New Hobby

There’s always this one thing that you want to get into like photography, blogging, or baking.

7. Take Longer Showers

Whether it’s cold or hot, with music or not, taking longer than usual baths is totally rejuvenating.


8. Do Nothing

I don’t mean for you to scroll your favourite social media app or listening to your favorite song, doing nothing is actually one of the best things you can do to help ease your mind about everything. When was the last time you actually did nothing?