We are in the thick of summer, and if we’re being honest, so much of our planning and conversation revolves around the kids. What to feed them, how to keep them cool, how to keep them entertained when it’s too hot to breathe outside. We plan their days down to the snack.
This is all very reasonable. The summer is when they are with us the most and when we may even be planning the most. We want to make sure between all the activity and planning, you take a moment to plan for yourself too, mama.
Don’t forget to check in on you.
Summer can be a tough season. The schedule’s off, everyone’s home more, and somehow there’s less time for you than there was before summer. So today isn’t about the kids. It’s about you. Here are a few small ways to hold onto your sanity (and maybe even enjoy yourself) this summer.
FOR THE DAYS YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES
- Sit outside before anyone wakes up. Even five minutes on the porch with coffee before the chaos starts can reset your whole morning. No phone, no to-do list, just quiet.
- Do one thing with your hands. Water a plant, wipe down a counter – something small and finished. When everything else feels unfinished, one completed task does a lot for your head.
- Step into a cold shower for sixty seconds. It’s an instant reset when you’re overheated and over it.
FOR THE DAYS YOU HAVE AN HOUR
- Call a friend, don’t just text. Texting is easy, but hearing another adult’s voice does something texting can’t. Put in your earbuds and take on small task around the house while you chat.
- Go somewhere alone, even the grocery store. It may not sound glamorous, but wandering a store by yourself, with nobody grabbing your leg, is genuinely restorative.
FOR THE DAYS YOU NEED A RESET
- Lower the bar on purpose. Popsicles for lunch, PJs till noon, screens for an hour longer than usual. Summer survival mode is allowed. Let go of the guilt.
- Find your people. Whether it’s a mom’s group, a neighbor, or one friend who gets it, summer is easier when you’re not doing it solo. Text someone today and make a plan. Even a small one.
- Ask for a break out loud. Whether to your partner, your mom, or a sitter. Say the words out loud. “I need a break” is a full sentence, and you don’t need a reason attached to it.
This heat isn’t going anywhere for a while, and neither is the chaos of summer break. But you deserve just as much care as you’re pouring into your kids all day. Take the five minutes. Call your friend. You’ll be a better mom for it.