Self-Care For Homeschool Moms – 17 Ways to Thrive!

Self-Care is essential for homeschool moms. It’s amazing how often I hear about moms who feel burnt out, stressed, or convinced that they aren’t measuring up. And believe me, I’ve also been there.

Feeling regular bouts of overwhelm seems to be a right of passage for homeschool moms. We often don’t feel that we’re doing enough unless our plates are completely full and we couldn’t possibly imagine trying to juggle more than we already are.

But, is this the best way for us to function? Should we be putting so much stress on ourselves? Or is there a better way?

Of course, there is a better way! God doesn’t want us to feel that we need to operate is a state of perpetual stress. He doesn’t want us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and to feel that everything depends on us.

And yet, this seems to be the natural state of many of us. We tend to push ourselves past what’s comfortable until we reach the breaking point.

Please don’t do this!

Moms, you are valuable. You are precious in the eyes of God and of your family. And you matter. It’s important that you find ways to take care of yourself so that you will also be able to take care of your family and others around you.

Surprisingly, burnt out women don’t make the best caregivers. Go figure!

So, how in the world should homeschool moms do this thing called Self Care?

Your Path to Feeling Less Stressed Video Course

Here are 17 Ways to Thrive While Homeschooling Our Kids:

1 – Ask for Help – No one expects you to do everything on your own – but they also can’t read your mind.

2 – Take Time to Recharge – With a little bit of planning and ingenuity, it is usually possible to find ways to get some alone time throughout the week.

3 – Prioritize Yourself – If we start taking care of ourselves properly, we will find that everyone around us will also benefit.

4 – Learn to Say No – There is no way we can do all the tasks that are expected of us without going crazy.

5 – Focus on the Good – Sometimes we are so focused on the harder, more negative parts of our lives that we fail to recognize the treasures which are all around us.

6 – Let God Help Carry Your Load – When we are in the middle of a battle, we can be confident that God will show up and will fight for us.

7 – Ask God for Wisdom – Am I open to whatever He wants to do with my life?  With my sons’ lives?  With my homeschool plans?

8 – Learn to Let Go – No matter what trials we are currently experiencing, we have the ability (with God’s help) to let go of the hurt, the pain, and the fear and to choose a good attitude.

9 – Take Time to Rest – You will be tired from time to time, however, if you find yourself tired all the time or just plain exhausted, then there are some things you can try to give yourself more energy.

10 – Read a Good Book – It isn’t often that I get time to relax with a good book. When I do have a few minutes, however, I want to be sure I’m going to enjoy whatever I’m taking the time to read.

11 – Practice Thankfulness – God won’t always reveal to us why He allows difficult things to happen to us. But we need to have the faith that there’s always a good reason for whatever He allows to happen.

12 – Learn to Make Small Corrections – Making small, daily changes which will transform your life over time.

13 – Realize It Will Get Better – Homeschool moms end up feeling discouraged much of the time because we think that everyone else has smarter kids, cleaner homes, and make more elaborate meals than they do.

14 – Set Realistic Priorities – Even though the decision to homeschool your children is a wonderful one to make, it also has some harder issues that you will need to overcome.

15 – Give Yourself and Your Kids Grace – We need to stop trying to force our children into the kind of people we want them to be. Rather, we need to be a model for them to follow.

16 – Find Balance – You can’t do it all if you expect to maintain your sanity. Realize there are different seasons in life.

17 – Don’t Expect Perfection – You are not perfect and God doesn’t expect you to try to be perfect. Us moms, especially, need to cut ourselves some slack.

When we attempt to take care of ourselves, our entire family benefits. The next time you feel you’re running on empty, make it a point to take some time for yourself and watch your attitude change.

Moms are human, too, and we all have limits. When we are intentional about taking better care of ourselves, it’s amazing how much more willing we are to do things for others.

→ If you’d like to learn even more ways to feel LESS stressed and to experience more JOY in your life, be sure to check out my new video course, Your Path to Feeling Less Stressed!

Are you intentional about taking care of yourself? Do you have any self-care tips you could share with us? Please leave a comment below.

Here are some posts written by fellow homeschool bloggers you might also enjoy!

12 thoughts on “Self-Care For Homeschool Moms – 17 Ways to Thrive!”

  1. Aah! Reading a good book is one of my favorite self-care practices! Love your reminders of why it’s so important to make me-time:)

    1. Thanks, Amy. Yes, it’s so important. Thanks so much for stopping by – and for coming up with this great blog hop idea. I think it will help lots and lots of homeschool moms!

    1. For some reason, we feel like we should be able to do ALL THE THINGS on our own, so asking for help feels like a sign of weakness. Thing is, no one can do it all and we need to remember that. Thanks so much for stopping by!

  2. Michelle – Thank you for this post. The past year I have had some serious health issues and more recently (two weeks ago) I lost my Dad after a series of heart attacks. I am reeling and exhausted. This is so timely for me! Thank you for the reminders on simple self-care – I am going to print this one out!

    1. Oh, Julie, I am so sorry for your loss. Yes, this is a good time for you to be taking a deep breath and refocusing a bit. Oh, my heart hurts for you. I’m glad this post touches you and I hope you find it helpful in the difficult days to come. (hugs)

  3. My biggest self-care tip is nutrition. Our family used to be sick all the time. At least once a month, one of us was sick. The more we were sick, the more stressed out we got and the more we got sick! After much prayer and searching I realized that what we were eating was making us sick. We began a journey that continues to this day of continually searching out what is good and healthy for our bodies. It has been over 5 years since then and we hardly ever get sick anymore! As an added bonus the kids stopped getting cavities. I highly recommend the cookbook: “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. It was a turning point for us.

  4. Thanks for sharing with this wonderful tips in regards to home schooling. For me I never forget to “take care of myself” because of course after all the hard work if you don’t take care of yourself surely in the future you will regret it. Anyways, nice advice and I’ll definitely take note ALL of them. Keep up the great work!

    1. You’re right, Kathleen. It’s wise of you to do this – unfortunately, many of us moms neglect self-care thinking that we are using all of our time and energy to help our families and that it’s a GOOD thing. We forget that we also have needs and that if we aren’t intentional about recharging our own batteries, we won’t be able to help anyone after awhile.

  5. Numbers 12 and 15 really spoke to me. I typically stink at self-care and often don’t even recognize I am fried until I start griping at everyone. It is something I am certainly working on. Nice post.

    1. You’re not alone! It’s so much more intuitive for us to take care of others than it is to take care of ourselves. We need to remember that we aren’t doing anyone any favors by ignoring our own needs. It doesn’t come naturally but it makes such a difference when we’re intentional about it.

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