Prioritize Self-Care this Fall Season

Fall is a new season filled with more home cooked meals, Parent-Teacher conferences, extra-curricular activities, and much more. And, as working mothers begin to jump into the new season, it is vital to ensure their order of priorities are identified and secured. Priorities for each working mother will vary depending on circumstances, finances, and a support system; but priorities are vital to managing their various responsibilities.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word priority as, “something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives.” Thus, in a working mother’s priority list, many important tasks (e.g., washing dishes, completing laundry, cleaning the house, etc….) are given greater attention before another task, resulting in many tasks becoming a priority, and most often due at the same time.

If a working mother begins this new season with multiple priorities and not knowing which is most important,then it is vital for her to take a moment to evaluate what is on her task list and determine which one should be a priority over the other. The most important task that should be at the top of the priority list is self-care. Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health, well-being and happiness, particularly during periods of stress. And, with the Fall season beginning, working mothers will endure a high period of stress. Which is even more vital for them to prioritize self-care when managing the various tasks on their list.

Prioritize Self-Care

To prioritize self-care, a working mother must identify what makes her happy. Many times, herdreams, desires, and needs are last on her list because everyone around her has a priority list that she makes her priority. And, by making everyone’s priority her priority, she forgets her identity. She forgets her happiness and the moments and things that bring her joy, for the sake of bringing others joy. To combat this, a working mother must ask herself such questions as:

• What makes me happy? What gives me peace?

• What do I enjoy the most?

• What puts a smile on my face?

• What has been a dream of mine that I have yet to accomplish?

• What goals have I been pushing off that I really want to achieve?

Determining the answer to the above questions will remind her of the dreams she once had. It will also remind her what she is missing in her life–prioritizing self-care. And most times the things that make her happy are small buthave a significant meaning.

Once a working mother has identified what makes her happy, she must then determine how she will prioritize her self-care. This can include incorporating self-care into her daily priority list early in the morning, before the family awakes, or in the evening when the family goes to sleep. For example, one working mother may conclude that self-care is writing fiction stories. This activity gives her peace and allows her to have the quietness and concentration she needs to write amazing stories. To prioritize her writing, she will set aside an hour a day to write her stories, before the family awakes. Before starting her day with family responsibilities, she has already been at peace and completed a task that made her happy; resulting in her being able to pour back into herself so that she has the energy, peace, and love to give to her family.

Prioritizing self-care will look and be different for each working mother. But, prioritizing it should include:

• Identifying what self-care looks like

• Incorporating it into her tasks list (view self-care as a task) –which means planning for self-care in advance

• Believe that self-care is deserved

• Create and communicate self-care boundaries ensuring the family respects them

The Fall season is the most opportune time for a working mother to fall back into and prioritize self-care. For the last 18 months during the Coronavirus pandemic, many working mothers have had to push self-care to the end of their priority list, which was never accomplished, never looked at, or never written down. Self-care should be a priority because when a working mother is able to physically, spiritually, and emotionally take care of herself, she is better able to take care of her family and the many responsibilities she must manage. This Fall, encourage and empower a working mother to prioritize self-care and start off the Fall season with a better priority list.

For more tips and inspiration to prioritize self-care and create work-life balance, subscribe and listen to The Latika Vines Show –the work-life balance podcast for working moms. Each week, the host, Latika Vines, shares practical and immediate ways to create the balance you need. Learn more at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latika-vines-show/id1497895539.