Are you a stay-at-home mom who feels guilt at the thought of taking some time for yourself? Do you have the belief that self-care is selfish? Learn why self-care for moms at home isn’t selfish and, quite frankly, isn’t optional.
I remember in the beginning years of stay-at-home motherhood, I wore my busyness as a badge of honor. To pour all my time and energy into my family must have meant I was a good mom, right? Sadly, it’s what I believed. It wasn’t long before I found myself completely depleted–physically, mentally, and emotionally. Something had to change or I wasn’t going to make it in this thing called motherhood.
The reality of my state was that I had poured everything I had into my family and never actually took the time to fill myself back up again. Why? Because that would be selfish. I truly believed that setting boundaries to take time for myself and my own needs was selfish. To put my needs before my family, never.
Is Self-Care for Moms at Home Selfish?
It’s true that self-care has the potential to become selfish. Any good thing has the potential to become corrupted if we aren’t careful. That’s why it’s important to take an honest look at your motives. If our self-care is only for us and not the benefit of others, then indeed it can become selfish. However, if our self-care is for the purpose of being intentional in our own personal care so that we can serve others, then it’s necessary.
We are all here for a purpose, and one of our purposes as stay-at-home moms is to steward our time well so that we can care for our husband, children and home. That’s a big job that requires our intentional efforts to refuel.
Jesus was intentional about taking time to be alone so He could pray and be refreshed by God (Luke 5:16). He didn’t spend all His time feeding, healing, teaching, and performing miracles. Jesus realized that if He was going to do these things (His purpose), He had to be intentional about making time to be alone with His Father. He acknowledged this need for His disciples as well (Mark 6:31). As His followers, we should be following His example. We should be making intentional time to refresh our mind, body, and spirit.
Biblical self-care isn’t selfish. It’s necessary. If Jesus needed to take intentional time to tend to His own personal care so that He could serve others, who are we to think we can’t?
Final Thoughts
If you often struggle to take time for yourself to rest and recharge, I encourage you to start. Start with prayer, bringing your thoughts and feelings about it to the feet of Jesus and asking Him to fill you with His truth. Asking Him to show you how you can begin to take better care of yourself so that you can better serve your family and the people He has placed in your life.
Then I encourage you to start the most powerful part of any self-care routine–getting alone and meeting with God each day. Even just 5 minutes can have massive impact. There is no limit to what God can do with a small offering when it’s offered in love and faith.
Want more self-care tips for moms at home? Check out, What True Self-Care for Moms at Home Really Looks Like.