How a Mom and Entrepreneur Creates Time for Self-Care

It’s easier to practice self-care and mindfulness when it’s tied to a routine event. Every daily occurrence can be transformed into a ritual when you take a self-loving approach.

Bethany McDaniel is a mom and Founder of all-natural, non-toxic skincare company, Primally Pure. Today, she shares her approach to finding balance, and how she incorporates self-love into her daily routine.

Mindful living can be tricky, especially for us moms: moments to ourselves are scarce, and thoughts are often clouded by lack of sleep and the hundreds of things that need to be done each day in order for life to continue moving smoothly. Throw running a business into the mix, and “balance” becomes even more impossible to achieve.

Balance may exist for some, but not for me at this point in my life. And you know what? I’m done chasing it.

I’m a big believer in seasons. There are times in my life when balance is very much attainable, and times when it’s not. I’ve been in the “not” season for the greater part of the last few years. I don’t have a ton of extra time to practice self-care, workout, catch up with girlfriends over drinks, or other fun things.

I’m okay with how things are right now because this is only a season, and during this season, I’ve chosen to put all of my energy into my husband, daughter, and business (and keep what little time is leftover for myself). But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to squeeze little moments of mindfulness into my day-to-day.

No matter how busy you are, there are always opportunities to practice mindfulness and self-care throughout the day. I’ve found that even the most simple practices, which don’t require a ton of energy or space, go a long way in providing much-needed refreshment!

So, here’s what my typical day looks like at the moment, with mindful moments slotted in wherever possible:

6:15 am. My husband brings our daughter, June, into bed, for some morning “milkies” (as she likes to call it)! I sleep with ear plugs, so I rely on him to listen for her in the morning when she wakes up. That’s what he gets for snoring! ;).

6:30 am. After milkies and snuggles, we head downstairs to play and eat breakfast, which often consists of eggs, kale (my daughter loves kale), and fruit.

7:30 am. On a good morning, I take June out for a quick stroller run (1–2 miles is about the most I ever do) around our neighborhood. I’m not always able to fit this in, but I’m so glad when I do! It’s so nice to start the day with fresh air, sunshine, and mindful movement.

8:00 am. Our babysitter arrives. I head upstairs again to get ready for the day. This time is a small luxury for me: it’s so nice to shower and get dressed in peace, without a little person at my knees.

8:45 am. I quickly mix up a matcha smoothie (another small moment of self-care) and sip it in the car as I head into work. I make this smoothie with coconut oil, collagen peptides, honey or dates, and matcha of course! It fuels me. If I ever have to go without it, I feel off for hours.

9 am. I either arrive at the office or head to a local coffee shop: it depends on what my workload is like for that day. I try to be mindful about where I work: if I have projects on my agenda that require intense focus, or a long to-do list to plow away, I’m more productive offsite. But if I need to be working closely with members of my team, it’s important to be in the office.

12 pm. I usually eat a lunch brought from home. I’m a stickler about healthy eating — it’s one of the ways I practice mindful self-care.

4:30 pm. I head out of the office just before 5pm (even if I have lingering tasks and emails), so that I can spend a few hours with my husband and daughter before she goes to sleep (I catch up on work later that night).

6:00 pm. Dinner time! My husband has a big family and they all live close by — family dinners are a regular thing for us. We also probably eat out more often than we should. Now that the weather’s beautiful, we’ve been barbecuing in our backyard fairly often too!

7:30 pm. June goes to sleep. This is when I pick up the house as much as I can (or feel like), hang out with my husband, maybe watch TV (I’ve been watching reruns of The Office for the last few weeks and I’m having the best time reliving all those hilarious moments!), and often squeeze in another hour or two of work.

Before going to sleep, I follow my skincare ritual: I wash my face with Primally Pure Cleansing Oil, followed by Everything Spray and Blue Tansy Beauty Cream. To wind down from the day, I usually usually take an epsom salt bath, stretch, or read.

10 pm. Ear plugs in, eye mask on, and I doze off immediately.