Create Your Summer Self-Care Plan

Picture yourself at the end of this summer.

Will you feel overwhelmed and frazzled, just counting down the days till the kids go back to school?

Or will you feel calm and present, eager to enjoy the final days of a summer of ease and fun?

Let’s be real: it will likely be a little of both.

But, there’s a way to lean towards more calm + presence in your life with less stress + overwhelm.

You can make this summer your best one yet by creating a self-care plan.

If you love creating plans, read on!  

If the idea of creating another plan makes you want to stop reading this post and click over to scroll through Insta or Facebook, please read on— I promise this will be worth your time.

I admit when I think about summer, the last thing I want to do is create another plan. With camps, daycare and so many of our weekends taken up by planned events, I have this internal desire to revolt against plans.  

Summer is supposed to be the time of spontaneity, relaxation, sleeping in, and flexible schedules, right?

Girl, this was before mamahood!  

Now, the best route to relaxation is to have a solid plan.

By spending about 30 minutes creating a plan NOW, you can spend so much more of your time relaxed with your kids this summer - really enjoying them and your time with them - and hopefully less time stressing or yelling or reaching for a bottle of wine or chocolate to cope in those overwhelming moments.

How would it feel to look back on your summer with sweet nostalgia, knowing you made the best of your moments?

Step #1: Create a schedule for YOUR self-care

Creating a schedule for your self-care is all about doing things for yourself.

Start by asking yourself “what fills me up?” and “what do I need more of in my life?”  

If nothing comes to mind, close your eyes and visualize a day by yourself. You suddenly have a free day. What would you want to do? (If you have mama guilt rise up, just imagine your kids are having the time of their life somewhere else-- at grandma’s house, friend’s house, summer camp, or anywhere but with you).

Once you have about 3-5 solid ideas, focus on doing these activities regularly this summer.

Take a look at your calendar. Then, block off one night each week +/or a couple of hours on the weekends that are designated for your self-care.

If that seems like too much time to reserve for yourself, start with 1-2 nights per month. Think of this as the beginning — with the intention to commit to time each week that is just for you.

Try not to go grocery shopping or do other household tasks during this designated time. Or, if you must do some of these things to make the other days easier, then pick one household task to do and still plan on doing self-care with the rest of your time.

If you don’t have a shared calendar (I recommend google calendars), get one started. It’s so easy and will make planning for your family so much easier.

Think of these blocks of time for your self-care as non-negotiable. In other words, do not take the times off your calendar for anything except when totally necessary.

Repeat after me: My self-care time is non-negotiable. It is an investment in myself and my family.

Step #2: Create daily routines

Creating daily routines may look different depending on what your household looks like in the summer.

Because I have this summer off from work, I knew it would be super important for me to create daily structure for our house.  

However, even when I worked in the summer I still employed similar structure for our summers.

First, this means having a morning routine. My plan has been to wake up at 5:30am as consistently as I can to have time to center myself in the morning through meditation, stretching, journaling, drinking coffee alone or exercise. (Honestly, the early morning routine has been a struggle for me, but I feel so much better when I make it happen!)

Second, I have an “all in” mentality. Either I am “all in” with my kids or “all in” with other tasks.

In order for this to work, I have had to make some change in our systems.

Things like creating time for the kids to have downtime by themselves, teaching them how to do certain tasks I used to do myself (e.g., helping with meals, making their own beds, putting away laundry, etc,) in order to lighten the family load (plus it’s really good for kids to contribute to the family.)

Third, when we are all at home together, we have breaks structured throughout the day. The big break for me to replenish is our afternoon “quiet time” where the kids go to their room and can rest, read or have quiet play time.  If your child is still napping, this could be nap time.

Overall, remember Mama - self-care is about so much more than taking breaks when you are burned out and exhausted.

Putting a solid plan in place will shape your routines and habits so you can feel your best this summer.

With love,

Jessica

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