Homeschool Mom Self Care: Customizable 20 Day Self-Care Challenge

Figuring out what YOU need as a homeschool mom is just as important as planning for your kids’ homeschool year.

Do you have ideas for how to take care of your heart while you take care of your homeschool?

We are discussing self-care and how it is different than selfishness. It is important to care for ourselves so that we may be able to care for those around us. Sometimes it is wiser to say no to others and yes to ourselves.

There are loads of different ways to take care of yourself. We’re all different and what helps one person might not work for another. And you might be thinking, “Shopping is what helps me.” That’s fine, but you can’t do it all the time. What really, truly makes you feel good?

Customizable 20 Day Self-Care Challenge

Day 1: Go for a Walk

You can enjoy a nice brisk walk outside for about 20 minutes if you live in an area where the weather is decent all year round.

Taking a walk is a great way to get some exercise while also enjoying some of the benefits that come with it, such as getting your adrenaline pumping and boosting endorphins. breathing in some fresh air can also do wonders for boosting serotonin levels.

You can still walk even if it’s cold outside by using a treadmill or walking in place while watching TV or listening to music.

Taking a walk with your kids can count a nature study! Look out for birds, interesting plants and bugs you can look up when you get home.

Day2: Make Your Favorite Meal

If there’s a meal or snack that you love, make it for dinner or lunch.

If you don’t feel like cooking, there’s no problem. You can treat yourself by getting a delicious meal from your favorite takeout restaurant.

If you want to get extra credit, add a few raw veggies on the side!

Day 3: Go to Bed on Time

It is very important to get enough quality sleep for your mental health. When you get enough quality sleep, you will feel more energized and ready to start the day.

If you go to bed at a reasonable time every night, you will be able to develop a regular sleep schedule. This will result in getting better sleep and improving your overall health. So don’t stay up too late tonight!

It’s hard to have a consistent bedtime routine and go to bed on time, especially with our erratic homeschool schedule. It’s so tempting as a mom to enjoy that quiet time when everyone else is asleep, but I usually pay for the it next day. Sometimes, though, it’s totally worth it!

No matter how hard you try, you will never be perfect. So stop stressing about it and just do your best.

Day 4: Listen to a Motivational Podcast

Take some time today to relax and listen to a great podcast. You can find dozens that can make you feel smarter, start a meditation practice, or listen to people talk about your favorite tv show. Find some that feel like a mini-vacation.

Day 5: Create a Vision Board

A vision board is a place for pictures and words that represent what you want to achieve. Creating one is not only fun, but it is also motivating because it allows you to see your goals visually so that you can start taking the steps necessary to reach them.

Creating a vision board is a cheap and easy way to help yourself focus on your goals. All you need is a poster board and some images or quotes to fill it with. Try washi tape, pens, and sticker, and old magazines. Your kinds might want to make their own vision boards. It’s a great way to destress and get motivated and might help you know each other better.

Day 6: Have Breakfast in Bed

Waking up to breakfast in bed is a nice way to start the day! You don’t need a spouse, kids, or anyone else to help you enjoy this!

Prepare your favorite breakfast, get takeout, or have food delivered, and then return to bed. Watch your favorite show, snuggle up, and enjoy!

Day 7: Write Down 5 Things You’re Grateful for

Keeping a gratitude journal is a great way to practice self-care. Every day, write down a few things that you’re grateful for. This will help you get started with this amazing practice.

Write down five things you are grateful for to help keep a positive mindset.

Day 8: Drink Tea or Hot Chocolate

Put your kettle on and make some tea, or if you prefer hot chocolate have that instead. You could even make it extra special with a hot chocolate bomb.

Sit down with your hot drink and take at least five minutes to relax and enjoy it. Taking just a few minutes to fully appreciate something you enjoy is a great way to take care of yourself.

Day 9: Take a Nap

No matter what type of mom you are, whether you stay at home or work, the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of being a mom can be very tiring.

You should take a nap to recharge! Even if you can only find time for a 20-minute power nap, it will be beneficial for you to take some time this day to give yourself some much-needed rest.

Having a family ‘nap time’ when we all listen to an audio book together is one of my favorite memories of homeschooling when the kids were small. We all needed that wonderful afternoon break.

Day 10: Try a New Recipe

It’s time to find a recipe that you like! You can either go to Pinterest or look through an old cookbook. Look through all of the recipes until you find one that you want to try.

Go to the store and buy the ingredients to make something tasty tonight. Can’t cook? Get takeout from somewhere new.

Day 11: Start a Gratitude Journal

If you can’t find a journal or notebook, a piece of paper will work just as well.

Start with the five things from Day 7 and build on them. It’s great to be grateful for five things each day.

Day 12: Give Yourself a Massage

Although it may be more enjoyable to receive a massage from someone else, there are certain massages you can give yourself!

Using one hand, you can start by massaging your neck and each shoulder. Then, you can move down to massage your arms. After that, you can move down to your legs, specifically your calves and then your feet. Doing this will release some tension and feel great!

Check out muscle rollers for runners. These are pretty cheap and can really help relax your tight muscles,

Day 13: Watch Your Favorite Movie

Why not use your favorite movie as a means of self-care? Watching it from start to finish can help you to relive something you have enjoyed in the past and experience nostalgia.

If your favorite movie isn’t available to watch at home, you could check various streaming networks such as Netflix, Hulu, and Vudu to see if it’s available on any of those platforms. If not, you could always watch a new movie that piques your interest instead. If you can’t watch alone, tell the kids it’s time for a history lesson into old movies. Look for things outside of their experience – like dial telephones and record players.

Day 14: Listen to Your Favorite Song

Provide the children with an activity to keep them busy for a while. Next, play your favorite song at a loud volume. If your favorite song is slow-paced and calming, like classical music, then sit back and enjoy it.

Even if you only have time to listen to music while you’re cooking dinner, you can still dance around! Get up and dance to your favorite song if it’s more upbeat, or dance in the kitchen while using a spatula as a microphone. There’s no shame in dancing to music! I never played music in the kitchen without the kids coming to join in. Those songs are still some of our family favorites.

Day 15: Make Your Favorite Smoothie

To make a smoothie, first choose your favorite fruit, greens, milk, or yogurt. Then, add them all to a blender and mix until smooth.

Or even go wild and make a milkshake, though you will probably have to share!

Day 16: Buy Yourself Something Nice

You deserve to treat yourself to something nice. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be special.

Find something small that uplifts you – coffee, lunch, fuzzy socks, or a candle. It’s entirely up to you!

Day 17: The task you’ve been putting off

Here’s an idea for self-care that you might not have considered: doing something that you’ve been procrastinating on. Sometimes completing a task that’s been hanging over your head is the best way to take care of yourself.

There are things you can do to reduce stress in your life which in turn will help your heart. If there is an area of your life that is causing you stress, like clutter in your house, get rid of it. Other things that can help reduce stress are menu planning and budgeting because they remove stressors from your life.

Are there any tasks that you feel like you need to do but haven’t gotten around to yet? I recently heard a podcast where the speaker talked about cognitive dissonance. This occurs when our behavior doesn’t match up with the way we want to be. This dissonance can be resolved by tackling one of these outstanding tasks.

Day 18: Stretch for 10 Minutes

Stretching for 10 minutes can help relieve stress and make you feel more relaxed.

Stretching is important for your flexibility and health. There are hundreds of great YouTube videos and apps to help guide you on the best way to stretch.

Day 19: Reading

Are you one of those moms who runs around getting things done while the kids are doing their reading? I totally sympathize, but maybe try settling in to read yourself. Not only can it be really relaxing, you are setting your kids a great example that reading isn’t something people ‘have’ to do. It can actually be a life-long pleasure.

Day 20: Set Your Weekly Goals

If you set weekly goals in advance, you can avoid feeling anxious about the upcoming week.

Note down some goals you would like to achieve in the next week, then pick the most important ones and write them in a list.

It can feel liberating to get all your ideas and goals out of your head.

Taking some time to care for yourself isn’t selfish – it’s survival!