Back to School, Back to Self: Reclaiming Creative Time as a Mom

Back to school shopping, after school activities, monthly schedules, class parties, field trips, lunches, snacks, laundry…are you noticing the spike in your cortisol levels as you read this? Yeah, same. This running list, which is probably not even close to your mental running list is precisely the reason why Moms need Creative Self-Care. 

With everything we are constantly doing for others, we often forget to take the time we need for ourselves. Now I know everyone has probably heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” While it may be a worn out phrase by now, the sentiment continues to ring true for most, if not all mothers out there. In a society that values self-sacrifice and service, how to keep people engaged in these caregiving roles without them ending in burnout, is often overlooked. 

In order to avoid the Mom-Burnout-Recovery cycle, we must move to preventative care. This looks like mothers learning to incorporate self-care, in this case Creative Self-Care, as part of their daily and/or weekly routines. As an Art Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I see a fair amount of burnout mothers seeking relief and looking to reconnect with parts of who they were before becoming mothers. 

Motherhood can be exhausting but it can also be such a transformative time in our lives. It is hard to navigate all of the big changes mostly because time doesn’t seem to slow down enough for us to catch up. Taking a moment to engage with your creativity gives us that time. Creating has the ability to make us feel as if time slows down, enough for us to catch up with ourselves, our thoughts, our needs, and our desires. Studies show art making and consuming art, can lower our stress levels and allows us to engage in a mindfulness practice that is more attainable than traditional meditation. 

Here’s how we begin Reclaiming Creative Time as Moms:

#1- Designate a time of day, or day of the week, where you will set aside time to engage with your inner creative. Remember you deserve this time to yourself just like your partner or kiddos need time alone too. It is not selfish, it’s essential! This might mean learning to say “no” to requests for your time or attention. Good boundaries start with good self-care. 

#2- Choose your ideal space to create. This doesn’t need to be a perfect space it can be a little corner of the dining room table, kitchen, office, den or bedroom. 

#3- Create a mobile art storage cart/bag/basket that you can take with you around your home or that you can simply leave out. Leaving materials and unfinished projects within your daily line of sight can entice you to come back and play some more!

#4- Pair your creative time with another one of your “favorite things” like a candle, coffee/tea, playlist, salt lamp, etc. We want to create an environment that invites your inner creative to come out and play. 

#5- Take a moment to think about or jot down why you need this time. Are you looking to recenter, to destress, to play, explore, etc.? Set your intention. This can help kickstart your creation time or provide the inspiration you need to choose materials or simply begin.

Reclaiming our creative time as moms begins with deciding we need the time for ourselves; it’s a nonnegotiable. Much like we need food, sleep, water, socialization, and movement, we need time to stimulate our minds and flex our creative muscles. This time teaches us about ourselves, our needs, wants and desires. Art making helps us look a situations differently and problem solve better. Creating can help us regulate our emotions and experience a sense of control and mastery during a time that often feels completely out of our chaotic. When we can begin to see creative time as mutually beneficial to ourselves and our families we can then reap the benefits and grow into these new and complex identities as mothers, caregivers and women.

So for this week set the intention and follow my 5 steps to reclaiming your creative time as a mom. Soon you’ll remember why you loved creating in the first place and just how much it helps to bring it back into your daily life! Happy creating!