Happiness Boosters and Sanity Savers for Moms

Moms, this post is for you.

We always hear the sayings “take care of yourself first” and “make self-care a priority.” This has never been more important than over the past year. Self care doesn’t require a spa weekend or anything drastic, we’re talking about small things you can do throughout your day that will boost your happiness and save your sanity.

I originally made this list and published an article in March 2020, just 1 week into our extended time at home and the world being turned upside down. With multiple weeks of uncertainty and days at home ahead I knew I had to do something to keep my spirits up and take care of myself.

Although that was over a year ago now, and it feels like we’ve returned to normal or close to it, I still try to remind myself to do little things each day that make me happy. When I think back to 2020, despite so much anxiety and worry about local businesses and sick friends, I remember trying to just slow down and enjoy things.

I took my dog on two laps around the neighborhood instead of one, I sat outside and enjoyed the breeze with nowhere else to be. We played a family board game 3 nights in a row. I stayed up past midnight to finish a great book {The Silent Patient} and slept in a little later.

During the time we were home all day every day, I made myself a list of things I could do to be sure I kept my own spirits up while taking care of everyone else, you’ll find it below. Use these ideas to make your own list of sanity-savers and happiness boosters to use throughout the year!

• Listen to music that makes you happy {Music ALWAYS makes me feel better}
• Read a book, a magazine, anything that isn’t current news
• Be alone {I’m an introvert – this is a necessity these days}
• Take a walk – alone, with kids, with the dog, with your spouse, just get outdoors and into the fresh air
• Text or call a friend each day
• Facetime a family member
• Go to bed early
• Sleep in
• Take a bath
• Take a long shower AND play fun music for a double whammy
• Sit outside – Enjoy the sunshine, read a book, watch the kids play outside in the yard.
• Color or paint – during quarantine I dug out that adult coloring book I bought and never used.
• Laugh – My husband and I LOVE comedians. Some of our favorite clean comedians are Brian Regan, Jim Gaffigan, John Mulaney, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Lots of free videos out there.
• Exercise – There are SO MANY free workout videos on YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, etc. This is on my “to-do” list instead of my “done” list so I don’t have any specific recommendations.
• Organize – I love cleaning and organizing our spaces but those projects never seem to make it to the top of my to-do list. I sure do feel good when I get them done though!
• Make a schedule or a daily to-do list if that makes you happy. During quarantine, I tried to do 1 cleaning/organizing project, 1 Lakeland Mom project, read 1/4 of a book each day, plus plenty of time with my kids.
• Keep a journal
• Set specific times to check the news, social media, etc. – if it is making you anxious, dial it back. 

Almost everything here can be done in 15 minutes or less. Find the time, find your little slice of happy. You deserve it mama!

More articles for moms:

• Mom’s Night {or Day} Out
• Date Night Guide for Lakeland + Polk County
• You’re Enough
• A Letter To the Introverted Mom During the Summer