Leave room in your day for a ten-minute “me-racle”!
I recently had my second child, Levi. He is a quintessential second baby. He is easy-going, sleeps pretty much anywhere regardless of how much chaos ensues around him, and he’s taken to things like breastfeeding and napping much easier than my first son. However, where there once were pockets of “me-time” built into my day during nap times or after bedtime for things like exercising or, my favorite, sitting in silence, my second child consumes those moments. He’s still a baby, after all, who wakes up, eats constantly, has blowouts, and gets sick. Without those moments I once had to myself, I could feel my cortisol levels rising and my mood declining by the end of each day, turning me into a mom and partner I wasn’t a fan of. Something had to give.
Like a lot of millennial moms, I follow various parenting resources on social media. One of my favorites, @biglittlefeelings, talked about taking a ten minute “me-racle” each day. Like me, one of the founders, Kristen, had a baby about six months ago. And, like me, found herself without even as much as ten minutes to herself each day. She challenged herself to take a ten-minute “me-racle” every day. I was inspired instantly and challenged myself to do this for ten days; no excuses. Here’s my log and what I learned along the way.
Day 1: I had planned to work out during my baby’s nap in the morning. He had other plans. Without another pocket of time during the day, I spent 10 minutes before bed reading on my Kindle instead of mindlessly scrolling on my phone. Baby steps!
Day 2: I had some work to do during morning nap time and ran out of time to go vote. Instead, I decided to take both my kids after school on a nice long walk to my polling site. Self-care can look like prioritizing things that are important to you— like voting!
Day 3: When Levi woke up early from his nap, instead of getting mad at myself for not spending that time working out like I planned, I plopped him on my yoga mat for a 12-minute Materra Method Online video. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this?
Day 4: I taught a class today and got a takeout Union Loafers lunch and ate it uninterrupted. Need I say more?
Day 5: Since I work for myself and don’t have regular child care, I consider taking time for my work to be a form of self-care. I spent ten minutes filling out an application for an opportunity for my business that I had been putting off as non-essential. It felt great to complete it!
Day 6: When I don’t have time for a solo “me-racle,” I’m trying to insert my children into activities that fill my cup. I took both my kids to the art museum after school, and it felt so good to be in a space that inspires me.
Day 7: I had put on the calendar to attend a workout class and get coffee with a friend while my husband was with the kids. While the other pockets of time throughout the day are important, even an hour away does wonders for my mental health.
Day 8: I taught another class today but turned a grocery pick up into a moment for me with a drive-through coffee and a good podcast. I’ll take it!
Day 9: A challenging parenting day. Ate a cookie in hiding. Can’t win them all.
Day 10: While the baby napped and my older son watched Bluey after school, I ran a quick errand to a shop I love while my husband worked from home. Thank you, screen time!
What did I learn during this little experiment? That quantity is more important than quality when it comes to finding time for myself. That inserting my children into activities that fill me up, like visiting museums and voting, benefits us all. That scheduling time away for those big ticket items like a workout class or dinner out is just as important as scheduling time away for my work. That taking even just ten minutes for myself makes me a better mom and partner for my whole family, even if that means my kids watch ten more minutes of Bluey.
Have you taken your ten-minute “me-racle” today?
