I remember exactly how it felt when our worlds rapidly started changing this past March. My first point of action was to give advice to others. As someone who has worked from home for years — with a toddler by my side most of the time — I felt as if my transition may have been the smoothest out of everyone I knew.
My daughter wasn’t home all the time, but close enough. We had enrolled my daughter in for two days a week at our local KinderCare. Those were the days when I was able to freely go to doctor’s appointments, hit up Trader Joe’s, or just have a little me-time while working. It was a nice arrangement.
I never realized I’d miss those two days so much. While there were plenty of pros about the situation (like, seeing my husband way more than I used to) it’s easy for anyone to feel overwhelmed. And, I just have one kid — not multiples. My daughter also grew up pretty quickly within this time. Turns out, 3-year-olds are very chatty. And also very hilarious. It suddenly was much tougher to get things done.
For months, I scoffed at self-care. Who had time for that? A glass or two of wine on tough nights was usually an okay solution. But, it was also impractical. For one, alcohol makes me exhausted the next day since I’m no longer in my 20’s. Secondly, nobody can operate at their best when they don’t carve out legitimate time for themselves.
I know I’m not alone. Moms everywhere have had a tough year. So, here are 12 great self-care items that we should all purchase and actually use. Because you deserve this.