When flying, part of the emergency instructions you will be given include putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, before helping children or the elderly to place their masks on their face should your airplane experience an inflight emergency situation. While at first glance, this might seem selfish, putting your needs ahead of others, if you pass out when the masks are dispensed, you won’t be able to help yourself or anyone else. However, if you instead take care of your own need for oxygen first, you can then turn around and ensure that those around you have the oxygen they need as well to survive. This example is just a small example of the importance of self-care and how it shouldn’t be considered selfish as some might assume.

If you are tempted to neglect yourself in order to help others, this article on the best self care tips for busy moms is for you. While you might feel you are being sacrificial by neglecting your own needs, in reality, you are not giving your best to God if you are just giving what’s left over after your children, husband and the world lean on you to meet their needs. Remember, even God rested. Even He made His need for rest a priority by resting on the seventh day after six days of work in creating the earth.

To ensure that your self-care doesn’t become selfish, it’s important to look at it from a Biblical point of view, keeping the Holy Spirit first and foremost in your life and within the changes you plan on making to initiate self-care. The following are some applicable tips to get you started to create a level of self-care within your life that allows you to give of yourself and to God. Consider these tips the act of putting your own oxygen mask on your face, before you reach out to others to help them do the same.

Start Simple

Thankfully, self-care doesn’t require a great deal of money or monetary investment of any kind in some cases. Instead, it just requires you to make yourself a priority within your day, to set aside time for spending time alone to refill your empty gas tank for the rest of the day ahead. This can include finding the time to read a book you enjoy, go for a walk in a park, speak with a friend on the phone, take a bath, etc. Anything that you enjoy that helps you relax can be considered self-care applicable. You can also opt for classes or gym membership too, which can be a way to promote fitness and your physical health. Of course, that isn’t usually free, so it's only something that would work if you have the resources. Thankfully, there are many free workout videos you can enjoy if you don’t want to commit monetary resources towards self-improvement.

Rest

Again, as mentioned above, even God rested on the seventh day after the laborious task of creating the earth and the skies above. Therefore, why would we as mere humans demand any less rest and rejuvenation? We need to rest when we are physically and mentally tired. This is not being lazy. This is allowing your body to recuperate, so that you can again be the giving person you are as a busy mom.

Pray

Life as a mom can be overwhelming, stressful and chaotic. Thankfully, with a commitment to prayer, it can also be peaceful and rewarding. Prayer is simply our way of communicating with an all-powerful, all-knowing God, tapping into His resources. Therefore, when life gets to be a bit much, take the time to step away and pray over whatever issues are going on at the time by practicing Christian mom self care. You will enjoy an instant sense of peace when you put a mighty God on the task you are facing and leave it in His more than capable hands.

Study the Bible

There isn’t an issue that exists in this world, either relationally or physically that isn’t somehow addressed in the word of God. The Bible is God’s way of communicating to us as believers how we are to go about living life on a daily basis. While today might be far removed from the time its words were penned, God’s message to us through scripture is still valid and applicable today. There are many scriptures that encourage us to maintain faithfulness even when life seems to be closing in on us. There are others that teach us how to love those around us and how to behave as believers. Still, others address problems with our children and even go over the topic of anxiety and worry. Therefore, creating a habit of Bible study is a great way to enhance your self-care. Allow daily Bible study to become part of your betterment plan, helping you to learn more about Christ as you seek to improve yourself daily.

Practice Gratitude

The apostle Paul was responsible for writing many books within the New Testament. He was a former Pharisee who converted to Christianity after a miraculous experience on the road to Damascus. He penned the words,“I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content.” Keep in mind, Paul was beaten, imprisoned and jailed, yet he remained content. He practiced gratitude. As believers, we have so much to be thankful for, simply for having breath in our lungs to breathe each and every day. Therefore, another way to improve our self-care is to practice being grateful and content for what we have. Don’t always be looking to your neighbor, contemplating what they have that you do not, but instead be content with what you have right where you are at the present time.

Exercise and Be Healthy

Our bodies are a temple of the Lord. This means they deserve more than leftover food off our kids’ plates and a shower if we are lucky. Instead, as part of self care for moms, we should invest in ourselves and create a healthy habit of regular exercise. As mentioned above, this could include joining a gym or taking a class or just downloading classes to do at home for free. Walking is also a great exercise as well and doesn’t cost a thing.

Self Care Isn’t Selfish

As moms, we tend to think anything we do for ourselves is selfish. However, when it comes to self-care, this couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, taking good care of yourself with these self care tips for moms allows you to serve all those around you so much more effectively. Consider making one of your first acts of self-improvement the purchase of a product that reminds you of your faith and its importance in all aspects of life through Love in Faith.