Moms, learning how to take care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health.
I may be telling you something that you already know. But you’re likely still wondering how to make time to take care of your emotional wellness in addition to ALL of the other things you’re supposed to accomplish in a day?
Momming is hard. Raising small, demanding humans into larger, amazing humans is the toughest job you’ll ever love. (I think I partially stole that from an Army commercial…?) And parenting can be tough on your mental health.
Personally, I struggle with keeping all of the parenting balls in the air and feeling good at the end of the day. I’m too hard on myself, I struggle to give myself credit for what I HAVE accomplished (keeping everyone alive AND getting to soccer practice).
Can you relate?
The problem with that routine, is that it’s exhausting and not so great for staying mentally healthy. So, instead of beating myself up at the end of every day, I’m going to try something new!
Download this free printable journal page to use each evening!
I’ve created this journal page to use every night as a way to clear my mind, congratulate myself for what went right, and get focused on what I want from tomorrow. Keep reading to learn about the journal prompts…
Here’s what you’ll find in this self care journal page:
3 THINGS THAT WENT WELL TODAY
It’s important to give ourselves credit for what actually worked each day. Take those negative thoughts “I can’t believe we had McDonald’s for dinner AGAIN, why can’t I get it together and cook a healthy meal” …and turn it around “My kids went to bed with full tummies and loved being “treated” to McDonald’s”.
3 THINGS I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH TOMORROW
Get focused on just 3 things you would feel great about checking off your to do list tomorrow. Start small, do not write “get a better job” as one of your items, it’s TOO BIG!
Break down your goals into small tasks like “do 2 loads of laundry”, “workout for 20 minutes”, or “find 3 healthy recipes for dinner this week”.
Notice that I included numbers in my examples. If possible, turn your goals into small, quantifiable tasks to get laser focused.
So, if you’re looking for a new job, you could write “spend 30 minutes updating my resume”. Adding a number to your goals makes things more appealing and manageable.
3 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE IN THIS MOMENT
Gratitude is life changing when we practice it regularly. I chose to add “in this moment” because if you’re a big picture thinker like me, it’s easy to get lost in all the “but.., what if… and if only I could… thoughts.
Bringing your awareness into THIS MOMENT allows you to break down what you’re grateful for into bite sized thoughts. So, even though you might want to answer: my kids, my house, my career…I encourage you to get more specific. take a moment to look around the room you’re in, think about what you see, hear, feel, and smell that you are grateful for.
For example, “In this moment, I’m grateful:
- for my comfortable bed that makes me feel safe
- that warm air is pumping out of the vents and keeping us cozy on this cold night
- that my house is quiet and peaceful
- for the vibrant red, orange and yellow flower arrangement I made- I love how the fresh cranberries look at the bottom of the vase
- for my sore muscles because it means my body is getting stronger from today’s workout
TOMORROW I WILL PRIORITIZE JOY. THESE ARE THE 3 THINGS I WILL DO TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF
I firmly believe that as women, and moms in addition, we are genetically and societally predisposed to put ourselves last. Self care is so important and we must make it a daily habit.
The best analogy is the oxygen mask on an airplane…we must put one on ourselves FIRST, BEFORE we’re able to care for others.
As moms, we know that if momma goes down, the whole ship sinks, right? So, putting yourself first isn’t selfish, it’s actually the BEST way to take care of your family.
Get your free journal page right here and start taking care of yourself tonight.
Print out multiple copies to keep on your nightstand. Each evening, spend a few minutes to regroup and feel better about your day, and the opportunities that tomorrow brings.