Building Self Love as a Stay At Home Mom

As a stay-at-home mom, what’s your biggest struggle? For many, it’s not thinking they are enough, a loss of self before kids and an adjustment to this new life. If you are nodding your head at all, you’re not alone. Self love is defined as a state of appreciation for oneself, taking care of your own needs and not settling for less than you deserve. For moms, that may seem like a tall order.  

We were never prepared for this new job as a mom. As a stay-at-home mom, the job can be lonely, thankless and overwhelming. In fact, Salary.com did a calculation of how much a mom salary should be if they were getting paid. We’ve got some tips that might help start the process of building that self love. 

Check-In On Yourself Everyday

Have you had enough water? Eaten at least 2 full meals? Yes, your children have been fed all the meals including an endless amount of snacks, but what about you? Check in on yourself and write down what you need. Then, schedule a time to make it happen.  

For me, a quick morning yoga workout or just some time in silence while I scroll through my phone can really do a number on my mental health. Another way to do this is to schedule some time where someone else can watch the kids while you recharge. It can be the same time every day whether you have something to do or not.  

Start a Gratitude Journal

Whether it’s before you go to bed or as soon as you wake up in the morning, write down 3 quick things that you are grateful for. This could be as simple as a sunny day or that the kids didn’t fight with each other. We’re talking little victories here.  

I like having a small journal on my nightstand that I can grab before going to bed. Even if the day was insane, the kids were fighting and dinner was a mess, finding 3 positive things can help in feeling gratitude on even the most challenging of days.  

Forgive Yourself

I know this is a hard one. As moms, we are so tough on ourselves and any kind of impatience can breed a whole slew of negative thoughts. Accept that you are human, that your kids still think you are a superhero and that it’s OK to lose it sometimes.  

We are not perfect, and there are no failures, just opportunities for growth. Remember that we did not get a manual when the baby was born, we are all just doing our best.  

Practice Body Positivity

The way we talk about our bodies, how it looked before kids and how it looks now is detrimental to our mental health. In addition, our kids pick up on how we talk about our bodies and in turn can talk to their bodies the same way. 

Every body is perfect, even the imperfect parts. If we start focusing on how strong we are as moms, what we have accomplished and what our bodies can do, it puts us at a much stronger place and our children pick up on it.  

Find Something Just For You

Before you became a mom, what did you do? Not so much on your profession (especially if it didn’t bring you joy), but something that you really enjoyed. It might be time to reconnect with that person.  

Whether it’s going to a dance class, building a garden outside, writing or setting up a painting studio, find time to do just that. Stay-at-home moms can get caught up in the daily grind of the same thing over and over again, mostly involving the kids. It can be tough to find something that is just for you. Find that and you’ll be on your way to self-love.  

Building self-love is an important step in moving forward in this new life and new job. It’s all about changing the mindset of the everyday with little steps that can build self love in whatever stage you are right now.  

When we practice self care and self love, we are setting an example to our children, which can be one of the greatest gifts to give them. Learning to love yourself as a mother is the best thing you can do for your family and yourself. We hope these tips have inspired you to see how awesome you really are.