5 Tips to Finding Your Me-Time to Relax and De-Stress

God in His wisdom determined that one day in a week be a rest day with the Lord. It is indeed refreshing to spend time worshipping God together with the family and brethren at church.

But then, what about the other days of the week. How tiring and weary can your days be? For a mom who has a lot of never-ending (repetitive) chores, every day can be quite tiring. Moms take care of the home (and sometimes go to work also), but who takes care of her? As I always say, it's difficult if the mom gets sick because of her big role in the family. So, it is very important for a mom, no matter how busy she is, to learn to value self-care and schedule personal time.

Have a personal time to refuel your tank, mom. This allows you to give to your family and to yourself in equal measure.  Don’t hesitate to sit down for a while doing nothing. It's ok to relax in a hammock under a tree to get away from the stress of the day. Read a book for 30 minutes if you like reading or watch a TV program.

Here are a few more tips you might like to try to fit in much needed “mom” time in your day:

1. Get at least 30 minutes of solitude

Usually, my day starts at 5:00 am. That's when the kids have to prepare to go to school. I cook/pack their lunch. After they go, that's when I spend some me-time. Things that I would do include exercising for 20 to 30 minutes, reading the Word, meditating, praying and drinking coffee. 

2. Ask your family members for help 

Kids can help do some house chores for you while you go shopping, take a relaxing bath or go to the spa. It's your personal time, so you can do whatever you like. By the way, assigning chores to your kids also helps them be more helpful and responsible.

3. Always be prepared like a Boy Scout

Prepare things in advance by doing them when you're least busy. Then, you can be in a more relaxed mode. The fewer things you need to do all through the day, the calmer your day will be and you will not experience burnout.

For example, fix your kids' lunches the night before. Some moms spend time on a Sunday to prepare meals for the whole week. Freezing foods can help preserve them and the foods can be reheated prior to consumption. Another example is to iron clothes for the whole week. This also saves you more money on electricity by ironing clothes just one time. .

4. Don't let the day pass without laughing 

Experts say that laughing releases stress. Stress is associated with the hormones epinephrine and cortisol. The levels of these hormones go down when you laugh, at the same time, the hormone oxytoxin or the "happy hormone" increases. So laugh to lift your spirits significantly. Laughing also helps your body get more oxygen which makes you feel better. Another benefit of laughing is it helps keep your abs tight.

5. Learn to relax in shorter periods of time

There are a few things you can do to relax quickly and it doesn't take a lot of time. One is to take a few deep breaths. Deep breaths can easily reverse the effects of stress. Here's how you do it:

• Take a deep, long breath in through your nose. 
• When you can’t take in any more air, open your mouth and let the air out. 
• Making an “hhhhaaaa” sound while releasing the air helps. 
• Do this several times and you’re sure to feel less stressed.

Another thing you can do is to take short exercise breaks. You can do jumping jacks during a television commercial, jog to the bus stop to pick up the kids or take a short walk to get some fresh air. You can also play some music and dance or just relax to soothing music. Music is known to have health and stress-reducing benefits.

Moms should take care of themselves. If you're not around because of sickness, who will take care of your family? You owe it to yourself to take a break from the daily chores.

Do you have tips to share that can help busy moms to relax and unwind to reduce stress? Please share in the comments below.