10 Self Care (Corona) Tips with Kids in the House
10 Self Care (Corona) Tips with Kids in the House
I have now entered my tenth week of online work and online schooling for the kids, and I don’t know about you, but after the first few weeks, I was starting to feel quite exhausted. I found myself not sleeping well and feeling more anxious than normal. To regain my balance, I started to slowly introduce smaller self-care routines throughout my week, and especially with kids in the house, no matter the age, this was golden. A friend reminded me a long time ago of how, in the plane, you have to put on your oxygen mask before helping others, and we often forget that it’s the same in real life, especially as a busy mum.
To be a good parent, you need to take care of yourself so that you can have the physical and emotional energy to take care of your family. - Michelle Obama
Here are the 10 best self-care tips for you (so you don't go insane, lol!).
(PS there are 5 bonus tips at the end of how to keep the kids occupied while you’re treating yourself with these tips!).
Meditation: Every morning, I start my day with 5-10 minutes of meditation, to create a calm and reassuring environment to start my day right, instead of checking my phone and social media as the first thing when I wake up. You can encourage the kids to join your meditation too!
Hair Mask: I make my own hair mask by mixing 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then, all you need to do is apply it to dry hair (only the tips of your hair), and cover your hair with a plastic bag (you can reuse it after) and a towel. Leave the oils in your hair for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can continue your daily routine while your hair is being treated by the oils. Then wash it out with shampoo, and your hair will be beautiful and shiny after; just because you’re in quarantine, doesn’t mean you can’t look pretty!
Face Mask: You can also make your own face mask using only ¼ of a small avocado. Just smash it up, and add the “mask” to a clean face for 5-20 minutes. The first time you try the mask, only leave it on a small area of your face for 5 minutes, just to make sure you don’t provoke any allergic reactions. Your kids can try on a facemask too, it might be really fun for them to try. This avocado mask is also brilliant to use for your hands. For more ideas on natural face masks, check out my daily Instagram stories @myhealthcoachlulu.
Enjoy a warm bath or foot bath. You can take a foot bath while watching TV or playing a board game with the kids, or how about letting the kids have a footbath too? If you have Epsom salt in your house, you can add it to your bath or foot bath too; it’s extremely calming for the body and mind.
Watch a silly movie on Netflix in bed… or even be naughty and do it while the kids are doing their online school. Or even better, while you’re eating breakfast in bed (Heaven!).
Turn off your phone for the day… scary, I know, but you can always turn on the phone for emergency calls only, so you won't miss important calls from your parents or others you need to be in contact with. You need to recharge, just like your phone does. Quiet time is really valuable, especially when you have kids in the house.
Ask your kids to make you breakfast in bed. Trust me on this one, the kids like getting small assignments or chores around the house. A bowl of cereal, even if it's not the healthiest thing to eat, can be prepared by a child. Alternatively, you could bake some buns with them, and they can serve that for your breakfast the day after. Here is a link to my easy spelt buns:
Paint a wall in your house! I did it with my kids when they were younger, and we each painted doodles or words on the walls of our bedrooms; you can try a small area of a wall in the house first. Writing little daily quotes daily could be a lovely idea too. We used children’s acrylic paint, which could be washed off with water, so check your paints for nasty chemicals, and how to remove it, before starting this project!
Rest! Control napping, just 10-20 minutes, can be extremely healing for the body and mind.
Ask for help! Ask your partner, your friends, your neighbours… Ask Google! Google knows all. Well, according to my kids, Google is the guy to ask. Or is he a woman?
Bonus Tips: 5 things the kids can do while you self-care:
Make a drawing for the grandparents, daddy, aunt or a neighbour!
Watch movies; they need a little break too sometimes.
Ask the kids to tidy up their rooms. Yes, they are more than capable to do that, even if they protest against it.
They can call or video call a friend. It's not easy for the kids to be away from school and their every day, so it's so important that they keep in contact with their friends too.
Let them make a gratefulness jar, where they can write down all the things they are grateful for. If they are too young to write, let them make little drawings daily of what they are most grateful for.
Do use loads of time to talk to your kids and listen to their fears too. It is indeed a difficult time for all of us, so let's do our best to support, listen and share our ideas with everyone.
Keep an eye on my Instagram story for upcoming tutorials with face yoga, another great self-care practice. I promise to start posting even more exercises and massages for your face soon!
Until next time, stay safe, keep a distance, show some love… and wash your hands!
Lulu Bechgaard
CIDESCO Beauty Therapist, IIN Health Coach, Holistic Aromatherapist 🍒🍒 Beauty Chef ❤️ Face Yoga Teacher
+852 9154 1570
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