Having time to yourself when you're a mom is sometimes a hard one to come by. Your little ones need you constantly and you've become accustomed to one child playing on the floor and the other sitting on the toilet while you're taking a shower. Kids have no sense of privacy and it's totally absurd to them that you'd want to shut the door while you go pee.
Having time to yourself is not only good for you but good for everyone else too. You're the glue that holds your family together. You're the one who does the housework, makes the meals, organizes activities, remembers everyone's birthday and turned everything about your house into a home. Mommy's need a break too!
I know it's probably hard to not feel guilty about doing something for yourself and have spent your "alone time" doing the dishes or putting the rest of the laundry away while you have both hands free. It's a classic mom move. :p
Most of the time I'd rather just spend my alone time at home because I'm usually limited to about an hour or so and I wouldn't want to waste any of that time driving somewhere and trying to find parking.
Here are my favorite ways to spend my alone time:
Taking a nap!
I wish nap-time was completely acceptable for everyone because I'm like a whole new person after a nice nap! Sometimes there might have been a few rough days in a row and I'm sleep deprived and running on empty. If I'm able to call my mom or a friend to swing by and hang out with my kids for a while so I can get an hour of sleep, I'm totally doing it! It's the one time I can crawl into bed and not have to worry about things like trying to stay still so I don't wake the baby. I have the whole bed to myself! I sprawl out and take up as much space as possible and have a hour or so of real uninterrupted sleep.
Meditation
The next best thing to taking a nap is meditation. I love being able to get some inner work done and de-clutter my mind. I have a few go-to guided meditation videos on youtube that take me on a journey of zen. I enjoy being able to rejuvenate myself without actually going to sleep. I just throw in my headphones and slap on a cold eye mask (for those dark circles) and go to my happy place. There are times that I'll want to meditate just to relax. There are other times where I'll have a pressing issue that I need to meditate on. It's a much more productive way to work through problems instead of worrying about them. :)
Yoga
No matter what kind of day I'm having, spending some time in my yoga practice always makes me feel better. There's a different yoga pose for every ailment. Whether I'm having lower back pain, stress, anxiety, or insomnia, I'm happy to know that I'm just a few asanas away from feeling better. And of course savasana is the ultimate happy ending! I've got to have at least 10 minutes of savasana to allow all of my thoughts to exit me and go bother someone else. Having my own yoga space right in my bedroom makes the experience that much better. I'm in my element and in my space to be exactly who I need to be, me.
Taking a bath
Probably my favorite way to spend my alone time is in the bath. All lights out, candles lit, essential oils in the water and meditation music playing in the background...so relaxing! I feel like I get the most benefit from meditation while I'm in the bathtub. There's just something about the water that enhances the experience. A lot of the times I like to do some fun manifestations while I'm in the water. I visualize my goals as if they've already happened and I embrace all of the feelings that come with achievement. After I'm all done, I'm more than refreshed. I feel great and also inspired to put some plans into action.
It doesn't really matter how you choose to spend your alone time. What's important is that you go into it with the intention that it is a treat for yourself. Being grateful for the time will only make the occurrence more special. You're there for everyone else all day long, 7 days a week. It's okay to spend some time with yourself, re-connect and get grounded again. The only reason you're able to do everything that you do is because you have that mommy fuel. But that fuel runs out sometimes and the only way to keep yourself going as strong as you do is by keeping that fuel up!