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As Autumn hits, so does SAD for a lot of people. Also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder if you haven’t heard of it! I personally suffer with SAD every year as soon as it starts to get dark early and so during the Autumn & Winter months, I tend to focus on lots of self care. I think this is particularly important for mums, because we deal with enough on a daily basis without the additional stress of feeling down because of the lack of daylight and vitamin D. Not to mention the freezing cold temperatures! It doesn’t help that it’s too cold and rainy most days to let the kids loose to tire them out either. If you’ve been struggling lately then here’s a few self-care ideas that may perk you up a little…
Spa Day
A day at a spa is so good for the soul. Admittedly, being a single mum, I don’t get to enjoy many of these but if I had the choice then I would. I see lots of mums with partners taking care of the kids whilst they go off and enjoy a nice little spa break and it honestly looks so dreamy. Get your feet up for a few hours, have a soak in the tub, get a pedicure, have a swim… not to mention maybe a facial or two, or even a massage if you’re pushing the boat out. If you can grab a babysitter or talk your partner into it, definitely book yourself a nice little spa day one weekend!
Plan Hot Breakfasts
Nothing starts the day off better than a lovely hot breakfast – as a mum I know how unrealistic this can be most days, but there are a few tricks up my sleeve that help this become more of a reality! Whisk up some eggs, milk and seasoning in a jug and pop it in the fridge overnight – in the morning all you have to do is cook it and it only takes a couple of minutes! Pair it with some toast and you’ve got one of my favourite breakfasts to start the day. You can also do a slow cooker fry up (I haven’t personally tried it) or a roasting tray breakfast that’s minimal mess and washing up. I have a roasting tin book with a few breakfast recipes in and it’s a dream if you don’t want the faff. I find these really help me get motivated for the day so it’s definitely a little bit of early morning self-care.
Establish A Solid Skincare Routine
Most mums say they don’t have time for an extensive skincare routine, including myself! I’ve found the best way to look after my skin and have a mini pamper most evenings is to figure out what products my skin reaps the benefit from and leave them out on my desk so that they’re always in easy reach. Having a set routine means it only takes me a couple of minutes to have a wee pamper before bed and my skin definitely thanks me for it, especially at this time of year as our skin gets so dehydrated.
Set Aside Ten Minutes To Just Be Calm
Mornings and evenings (and in-between) can be mad as a mum so try and wake up that 10 minutes earlier or go to bed that 10 minutes later and just sit yourself down with a book, or a cup of hot chocolate or tea and take those minutes to just be calm. I promise you that it makes the world of difference. I know how easy it is to be constantly adding to your to-do list or thinking what needs to be done whilst the kids are asleep, but don’t forget about you and just enjoy the calm for a few minutes every now and again.
Do you like to incorporate self-care into your routine at this time of year?