Five Ways that Mom Can Take Care of Herself (Did you know that it is Priority Number 1?!)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This international health campaign raises awareness of the disease as well as funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. Why is this important? Because Mom’s want and need to be around to care for their kids!

This is also a good reminder that Moms must make taking of themselves their first priority. Moms need to be both physically and mentally strong to give their best to their kids. And Moms are important role models who should demonstrate healthy behaviours.

Here are the top five ways that Moms can take good care of themselves:

1. Physical Health – Eat well, exercise and get enough sleep. Get an annual physical with your doctor. Take care of health issues as they arise. Go to the dentist.

2. Mental Health – Take time away from the kids to recharge, renew, revitalize. Don’t feel guilty about this time away; it is an essential part of the formula for a happy Mom and a happy household.

3. Right attitude – Perfection is the enemy of progress and a happy and healthy Mom. Learn to know when good enough is good enough. For example, it is okay to buy cupcakes from the store for the school bake sale instead of staying up all night making frosting from scratch.

4. Strong Partnership – Invest in your relationship with your spouse or partner by finding time to spend together without the kids. This will help you be more effective in day to day parenting. And don’t forget that sex is a great stress reliever and is fun!

5. Outside interests – Variety is the spice of life. Join a book club, take a class at the local college, or start writing that novel you always knew you had in you. Having something that is your own will make you a more balanced person.

Remember – you will only be able to take good care of your kids, if you take good care of yourself. This is Priority Number 1!