Spring is here! The weather is crisp, maybe even getting a little warmer where you live. I live in Texas, so it’s brisk temperatures right now (but I know the heat is coming). Nevertheless, I am planning for this beautiful season for some fun in the sun (and shade)! And I hope you are, too. That’s why for a moment, I want to take some time to share a few self-care tips for the spring season.
Now, before I dive into these tips, how are you feeling, mama? Are you feeling tired or refreshed? Are you feeling overwhelmed as a single mom or pretty steady? Okay, last question. Do you feel like you could use a little bit of “me” time? If so, you’re totally okay to feel this way. No guilt at all here because I get it! That’s why I’m writing this little piece of encouragement from one mom to another. So kick back, relax, and let’s dig into these rejuvenating self-care tips.
Self-Care Tip #1 // Plan a Getaway
Plan to getaway all by your lonesome. That’s right! And it doesn’t have to be this weekend. Of course, if you can, go for it! But my aim here is to encourage you to plan for it. With this being said, think about where you would like to go. Would you like to book a nearby hotel or cabin, drive, or fly away to a beautiful and relaxing resort?
My next question would be, what would you like to do on your getaway? Is there something that you’ve been wanting to do awhile now? Maybe that’s a little bit of sight-seeing, vegging out by the beach or lake, or dining at a few restaurants and trying a couple of new cuisines. Maybe it’s just lounging all weekend long, while ordering room service throughout your stay and watching television with no kiddos shouting, “Mommy…!” Are you catching the visual?
Self-care is so important. That’s why I’m sharing these tips with you. Our bodies and minds need recreation and rest. Actually, Jesus often got away to rest. He knew how to take care of Himself. Mark 6:31 reminds us when He said to His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Plan that getaway, mama!
SELF-CARE TIP #2 // FIND REST
Ahhh! I don’t know about you, but this sounds so refreshing in this season of my life. Although my kids are teenagers, I still get tired of running around to all of their sporting events, driving them and their friends around town for fun outings, cooking dinner, and making sure that they’re being responsible humans. This mama of teens needs to find rest, too.
But how do we find it?
Well, we must be very intentional. In other words, we need to recognize when our bodies just can’t push anymore for the day. We also need to know when we need Jesus to take the wheel. I love what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Yessss!
So, find 15-30 minutes to rest before cooking dinner. Find 45 minutes in your day to get your workout done. Find 30-45 minutes to take that hot shower or long bubble bath once your kiddo or kiddos are settled or asleep. And here’s one added bonus: Put on some relaxing instrumental worship music or ocean sounds, mixed with piano music, and lay your head back to unwind, pray, or think. This is how we take care of ourselves. Find rest.
SELF-CARE TIP #3 // dream
This season, take some time to dream. What I mean by this is, take a moment to pause, pray, and dream about what you would like to do in either this spring season or within the next year. While you’re at it, consider purchasing a creative and colorful scrapbook or prayer/dream journal. Having this delightful tool is a great way to relax and escape your current reality for even a few minutes. And it’s pretty fun and invigorating!
Personally, I love dreaming about what I’d like to do next. I’m a visionary. So when I get ideas, I love writing them down and dreaming about what it would be like to have this dream fulfilled. The springtime is one of my favorite seasons to do this fun exercise. Sitting down with a refreshing, cool iced tea with my prayer journal, creative notebook, and the open sky while sitting down on the Starbucks patio is self-care in action for me! How about you?
When was the last time you took some uninterrupted time to simply dream? Has it been recent, or has it been a while? I want to encourage you to take some time to relax and dream a bit this spring. You can do it under the open sky like me or you can take a long, scenic drive to clear your mind and imagine your next steps in this season. It’s truly refreshing and it’s a little slice of self-care. 😉
Meet the Author
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
