Real New Year Resolutions every mum should make

Here we are all together standing in front of a shiny brand new year, but moreover a whole new dedcade! So of course now is the time to talk New Year Resolutions. Except I’m not going to start waffling on about weight loss, or being more organised, or any of that malarkey. Instead, let’s talk about real New Year Resolutions every mum should make. What are those? I hear you ask. Well, they go something like this:

Be kinder to yourself

You, yes you mama! No more belittling of yourself, feeling you are not mum enough, or negative self talk. Put all of that and chuck it in a big old virtual cardboard box marked “archive”. This is the year we all need to be kinder to ourselves, make space for self love and recognise that we are all doing the best we can. How would you talk to your best friend? That’s how we should all be talking to ourselves. Exactly as we would our best friend.

Take five minutes to yourself

OK, maybe this might seem difficult but even if it means sitting down and enjoying that cup of coffee in the morning before you get on with doing a bajillion things, or going to bed an extra five minutes early and doing some deep breathing there then do it. Here are some other ways you can take five minutes to yourself.

Say ‘no’ more

It’s not that I am a ‘no’ person, hell I like saying yes, but sometimes we can just keep saying yes to the detriment of our wellbeing. So make this the year of not saying ‘yes’, but being realistic about what you can do and take on, and not being afraid to say ‘no’! Because the reality is, sometimes we need to say no in order to protect ourselves and our wellbeing.

F*** it! Do what you love

Remember that pre-mum self of yours? Come on, sure you do.  Remember all the things she used to love doing when she had that elusive thing you now know called spare time? Well bring back a little bit of her. Remember the thing that you loved to do and make a little corner in your world this year to start doing what you love again. Because you deserve it.

Love thy body

Let this be the year when we finally come to embrace our post baby bodies – folds, flaps, sags and all. Our bodies did something amazing, and nobody should ever make us feel ashamed of that. Let’s celebrate our bodies and all the amazing things they are capable of.

Exercise for the right reasons

Yes, exercise has a tonne of physical benefits, but for me its really about the mental benefits. For me, I really see the difference in the days I don’t exercise in my mental state. Put simply, exercise improves your mood and helps reduce your stress levels during the day, and most importantly helps you sleep and regenerate at night. Now for me, that’s the best motivation there is.

Get more sleep more

I know this is a tough one to pull of when we are surrounded by sleep thieves but seriously, sleep is so important to wellbeing. If you’re still having broken nights and early wake ups then PLEASE, fill in the sleep gaps by going to bed that little bit earlier and having a reverse lie in. Your entire mind and body will thank you for it.

Treat yourself

You, yes YOU! You have put in a lot of hard work in this mum life so whatever it is that you fancy a bit of – those red boots in Zara, a new coat, hell…..a new blender. Whatever you are hankering for you only live once so go on and treat yourself and don’t you dare go feeling guilty about it because you have more than earned it!

Breathe more

You know, because we forget to on a daily basis. Let’s all make a pact to slow down, be more present, and try to weave in more mindful moments into our daily lives. And while we’re on the subject of breathing, kicking off a small three minute daily meditation practice is one of the best things you can do for yourself this year.

Distance yourself from anyone who makes you feel bad

Haters will be haters, and it’s a sad fact there are a lot of negative, miserable, energy-sucking people out there. Put them all in a virtual trash can and surround yourself with people who make you feel good only. Go forth and release the negative!

Let go of the mum guilt

Sick of suffering with mum guilt! Me too? Feeling guilty and beating ourselves all of the time sucks – there’s no doubt about this. Make this the year you finally kick that mum guilt to the curb.

So there you go, my real New Year Resolutions for mums everywhere across the land. I think you’ll agree they are quite refreshing compared to the usual bum fluff that gets plastered around the internet at this time of year. Could you live by them this year? Do share a comment below and here’s hoping this year is everything we want it to be.

37 comments

  1. I’m not a resolution type of of girl but I love these. Especially distancing yourself from people who make you feel like a turd! In my case it’s harder as I’m related to them but I’m going to try. Happy New Year. xx

  2. I love these resolutions! I think it is so important not to forget about ourselves and to give our own guilt and bad feelings a break! Plus our bodies are amazing and aren’t meant to be Hollywood Pert until we are 90. Love it how it is x

  3. This is so relatable! Mothers don’t realize how amazing they are, and are always so hard on themselves, trying to do best by their kids x

  4. Even without kids I can agree to these. Do the things you enjoy and don’t worry about being a bit selfish from time to time as you have to look after yourself x

  5. I couldn’t agree with you more about these new year resolutions. Our wellbeing is so important and not difficult to achieve once we put our minds to it.

  6. Oh well said lovely!! I recently wrote a 40 before 40 list and a lot of it was about me. For a change and its really inspired me to take more time out. I love all of these especially the last – life is too short xx

  7. Nodded my way through all of this, I am definitely being kinder to myself this year as for too long I’ve been a right old bitch to myself and that needs to stop. Great resolutions hun xx -#coolmimclub

  8. I’m terrible at keeping resolutions, but I think I could/should manage a few of these! A bit of balance and R&R is key to remaining sane! #CoolMumClub

  9. Brilliant, positive and helpful resolutions! I’ve already said my first ‘no’ where usually I would have said yes and given myself a load of stress – it’s a life changer! I’m also trying to make more time to do things I enjoy while the kids are at school instead of feeling guilty about having a little bit of me-time in peace. Happy New Year Talya xx #coolmumclub

  10. Now these are my kind of resolutions! I definitely plan to tune in to my own passions a little more in 2018…but first I just need to remember what they were 😉

    Can’t wait to hang out with you IRL hopefully in 2018 hun! #CoolMumClub face time!

  11. This is such an awesome reminder! I kinda figured this out last year when I was suffering post natal anxiety. I distanced myself from social media, and the people who made me feel like crap. Even if it was all in my head! I have bookmarked this and will read it when I’m feeling rubbish 😉 Happy 2020!

  12. I really need to work on taking a few minutes for myself. It’s not always easy especially when you have 3 children but makes a difference to your sanity that’s for sure!

  13. I’m on a mission to get more sleep. I’m working closely with my fitbit to iron out my obvious sleeping issues … it’s determined to get me to sleep 7 good hours each night (and not 3.5 which I seem to be racking up at present – and I don’t know why!)

  14. I couldn’t agree more, we all put far too much pressure on each other and ourselves these days

  15. Gosh this post was awesome, so worth a read and I’m feeling much better about life now. These are so relatable, I definitely need to slow down and breathe more, love myself and look after myself abut more.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.