In life – and especially in the whirlwind of motherhood, it’s easy to put your own needs on the back burner. But remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. We have responsibilities and people counting on us all through our life. It’s essential to remember that it’s OK — and necessary, if we want to create a life we enjoy and that fulfills us — to allow FUN and even playfulness into our life.

If it feels foreign or uncomfortable for you to envision what “fun” looks like at this stage of life, that’s ok. I’ll walk you through a few ways to go about it. You’ll also find a workbook to explore hobbies HERE, as well as your monthly journal prompts,  Here are a few simple ways to make self-care a priority:

1. Inventory Exercise of Fun: Take a moment to think about what used to bring you joy and what new things you’d love to try. Create a running list that you add to as new memories and ideas pop up. Download a worksheet to use for tracking HERE. 

2. Weekly Fun Challenge: Try setting a fun challenge for yourself each week. It can be anything from cooking a new recipe, trying a new hobby, watching a comedy show or planning a future trip. Be open to this being a trial activity – it may take more than one attempt to find activities that are fun for you. These little adventures are perfect for injecting some fun into your routine. 

3. Mindful Fun Journaling: Grab a journal and start jotting down all your fun moments and activities as you focus on them this month. Reflect on how they make you feel and any new things you’ve discovered about yourself along the way. If you’d like daily journal prompts regarding fun, download it HERE.

We all occasionally find ourselves in a rut. One way to effectively bring a spark to our life is by defining and instilling more fun into our life. Be willing to consciously devote more time and energy into adding playfulness into your life.