Creating a Nightly Self-Care Routine

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® ,  but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CleanFaceWithEquate  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

As moms, most of us have nightly routines for our kids. We keep things simple: bath, brush teeth, story, and bed. We create a routine and do those things because they are important and we want to make sure they happen every night. How many of us have nightly routines for ourselves, though? Moms take care of everyone else first, but self-care is so important. I’m a much better mom when I make sure my own needs are taken care of too. We have some tips to help you create a nightly self-care routine that will help you feel your best, including some help from Equate Beauty Fragrance Free Makeup Remover Towelettes.

For the first few years after I became a mom, I put my own needs last. It’s hard to find the time to take care of yourself when you are adjusting to a taking care of a new baby and at some point, that becomes habit.

I’d been a mom for several years before I realized that I was exhausted, had lost touch with all my old hobbies, and was not routinely making time for self-care.

That was no good at all.

I was stressed, cranky, and not having any fun.

I’ve found many moms put off creating routines for themselves because they think that they just do not have the time. The good news is, you can get some great self-care in, even if you have only a few minutes a day to start.

My Quick Nightly Self-Care Routine

Night time is a bit hectic around my house. Everyone is tired by the end of the day (myself included). Long nightly routines just aren’t going to happen.

I find that keeping things simple and starting earlier in the night than I think I need to really help me to make sure my nightly self-care routine happens.

This is what my nightly routine looks like:

• Put pajamas on. When I leave this until the end of the night, I’ll often stay up later than I wanted to just because I’m too tired to go get ready for bed.
• Brush teeth. I do this with my kids. Having part of our nightly routines overlap helps me set an example for them and they are WAY easier to get to bed if they see me getting ready for bed too.
• Get the kids to bed. this may not sound like self-care but getting them to bed at a reasonable hour is TOTALLY self-care. I aim for a 7:00. That sounds early, but if we aim for 7:00, we’ll generally hit 7:30 or 8:00 so I’ve learned that we need to aim for an earlier bedtime in order to avoid kids being up super late on those nights when we get behind.

Once the kids are in bed, the true self-care starts.

• Remove all makeup. Do you remove your makeup before you go to bed? I never used to. I was just too tired and it seemed like an extra step. I figured I’d just wash it off in the shower the next morning. You know what is no fun though? Getting makeup on your pillow. I realized that I washing off all my makeup really helped me mentally get ready for bed. Of course, I still wasn’t willing to make a mess trying to wash my face off in the sink.I started using Equate Fragrance Free Makeup Remover Towelettes. These are so convenient to keep in my my makeup kit (or in my purse if I need them on-the-go) and they are super easy to use. I don’t have to mess with washing my face in the sink and getting water everywhere. I have super sensitive skin but because they are fragrance free (made with essential oils and 99% natural ingredients) these are really gentle on my sensitive skin. They even work on waterproof mascara!

   

   

   

  I’ve used other brands of makeup removing wipes in the past, but the cost added up when I was using them every day. I love that Equate Towelettes are budget-friendly and they are really versatile – I keep some in my purse in case I need to wipe my twins’ faces.

  I found Equate Beauty Fragrance Free Makeup Remover Towelettes in the cosmetic section with the other facial cleansers at my local Walmart.

• Do something for yourself. This does not have to be elaborate, but it is an important part of your nightly self-care routine. Some nights, all I have time for is sitting down for a few minutes with a cup of herbal tea. Other nights, when I have more time, I run a bubble bath and just let myself relax for a bit. On nights when I’m more alert, I love reading a bit in the current book I’m reading.Whatever you do, make sure it is something that helps you relax. TV used to be my go-to after I put the kids to bed until I realized that I wasn’t actually any more relaxed afterwards. It shut my brain off but didn’t help me recharge.

Your nightly routine does not have to take a long time. I find that getting into a routine helps me put myself on autopilot. It will take a bit more effort in the beginning but it is well worth taking some time for yourself and making your needs a priority.