Summer self care is essential for moms. As the last school bell rings, self care for yourself needs to take top priority.

Summer self care is non-negotiable for a mother’s sanity.  Sleeping in, starting the morning with the kids, and jumping into the day ferociously may leave you frazzled and crabby as the days, weeks, and summer months unravel. To have a blast with your family this summer, fill your calendar with these self care essentials.

 This post is all about five non-negotiable summer self care essentials.

Summer Self Care Essentials

1. Set the Alarm

Whoa! Wait a minute!  I understand it’s summer and it’s time to slow down and relax.  Yet, putting yourself first is the top priority and it starts before the kids get out of bed!  I love what Mel Robbins says, “Drop the drama and set the alarm. When the alarm rings, get up. No snooze button. No drama.” Put yourself first. Period.

Summer Self Care Questions

What if you asked yourself a few simple questions?  For example, what kind of morning do you need to feel grounded, centered, and ready to slay all the teenage attitudes for the day?  What time do you need to get up to have enough time for yourself? What is the routine that fits your season RIGHT NOW?

My summer self care seasons have shifted.  My kids are no longer little and I can afford to sleep an extra hour, yet the blessing of the quiet stirs my soul.  Despite the early alarm, I pull on my workout clothes, high-five myself in the mirror, make a cup of coffee, grab my journal, and call Jesus into my heart.

2. Move Your Body

I move my body every single day.  This is a healthy living blog, so of course, I am going to encourage you to move your body every single day also.  Fitness, movement, or exercise – whatever you choose to call it – is non-negotiable as summer self care.

Set your clothes out the night before.  Slither, crawl, or jump into them when the alarm goes off.  The fun part is deciding how you will move, what time of the day works best for your schedule, and how long you are investing in your mental and physical health.  Furthermore, if you struggle to move alone, recruit your best friend, join a gym, or strike up a conversation with the woman jogging around the block and allow friendship to propel you forward!

Moving your body changes the way you feel and it has a ripple effect on how you show up for the people around you.  Add a little run, walk, lift, bike, Bootcamp, or yoga into your summer self care routine and observe your littles, tweens, and bigs transform by feeling your awesome energy!

3. Stock Your Kitchen

Summer is for fresh, simple, and quick.  First, let’s start by throwing open your cabinet, refrigerator, and freezer doors.  Second, eliminate anything growing things, bottles, and jars with expiration dates before your children were born, and/or foods that bring a heavy feeling.  Lastly, discard the things you thought you’d use in that recipe and it never happened.  Ahhhh! Breathe!!

Non-negotiable summer self care means a kitchen stocked with fruits, vegetables, cheese sticks, yogurt, lunch meats, salsa, crackers, and nuts.  In addition, stock the refrigerator and freezer with easy-to-make proteins, like eggs, tuna, salmon, shrimp, grass-fed beef, and hormone-free poultry.  These proteins create more balance for everybody’s body.

Summer Kitchen Questions

What does a kitchen that promotes independence for your children look like?  What can the kids make on their own? How can your kitchen be stocked so you can grab and create meals with little thought?  Does creating a salad a day work for your self care for the summer?

When considering your kitchen, remove what doesn’t work and do more of the things, meals, and foods that do work! Creating a kitchen space for summer self care also teaches independence and responsibility for your children. Our kids need many opportunities for growth before they leave for their own grown-up lives.  So, instead of living to eat, let’s eat to live this summer!

4. Have a Plan

Calendars, planners, and schedules make the world run a little more smoothly, would you agree?  In a world where devices control everyone’s attention, creating an intentional “activity” plan will boost everyone’s summer self care.

Activities for You WITH the Kids

Maybe you have already booked the children for a variety of summer camps or activities for them to enjoy with friends.  Awesome!  Your children need time away from you.  However, time with you is equally important.  Depending on your schedule, my recommendation is one weekly fun activity to jump into with your children.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Craft Day
• Library and Ice Cream Day
• Picnic at the Park
• Try a new water activity:  canoe, kayak, paddleboard, fishing
• Visit a Nature Preserve:  how many different plants, birds, etc can you find?  can you catch frogs, bugs, etc?
• Visit a Small Business
• Yard Sale Scavenger Hunt
• Sidewalk Chalk the Neighborhood

Most importantly, ask your kids for ideas.  Your calendar will be filled in no time AND your days will be filled with connections and memories.

Activities for You ALONE or WITH FRIENDS

Did you forget? This post is about summer self care essentials, which means, activities for YOU! Self-care is not selfish.  And although it took me a hot minute to figure this out as I parented four children, once I did, everything changed.  Taking time to do things that bring you joy means you bring more joy back to the people around you.  Maybe your schedule will not allow for a weekly “joy activity,” but if it does, plan it!

Here are a few of my favorite joy activities:

• Meeting a friend for coffee
• Reading by myself at the coffee shop or out in the sun
• Going for manicure/pedicure
• Joining a friend for a long run
• Gathering my girlfriends, poolside
• Taking the dogs for an evening walk
• Taking my morning routine outside, listening to the birds, watching the sunrise

5. Hydrate

Summer is hot, humid, and sweaty!  All the more reason for it to be called hydration season!  Hydration is important year-round; however, summer is the season to double down on your water intake.  Hydrating is probably the most important summer self care essential!

Why? Hydration keeps things moving in the body.  For example, drinking plenty of fluids flushes waste and detoxifies, improves digestion, transports oxygen to your working muscles, and increases blood volume, which helps your cardiovascular health.  Besides, aren’t you looking for more supple skin?

According to Harvard Medical School, most healthy people can consume four-to-six cups of water per day.  Every person is unique, with different needs.  I consume a minimum of eight cups of water per day.  You decide what’s best for you.  If you have no idea, check the toilet on your next bathroom break.  If it’s yellow, you need to mellow – that means your body needs more water.

Here are a few flavor ideas for hydration:

• Add lemons, limes, oranges, berries
• Add cucumbers and mint
• Try Passion, Fun, or Truth (all-natural drink mixes)

Summer self-care may seem like another thing to add to your busy schedule.  Setting the alarm, moving your body, stocking your kitchen, having a plan, and hydrating are essential for taking care of yourself this summer.

This post was all about five non-negotiable summer self care essentials.