Issue #26: 11 Low-Effort & Sneaky Self-Care Rituals (for the mom who's never alone)

what self-care looks like when you’re holding a baby for all their naps and working in the margins

Let’s be real... self-care looks different when you’re rarely alone.

I’ve got an almost one-year-old, two (needy but sweet) dogs, and both my husband and I work from home. My work hours are more part-time these days, but the output still feels pretty full-time — I’m still running my business, creating, and writing a book. My mom helps 2–3ish times a week, and on the off days, I only work during naps… and we’re down to two.

And the crib? Yeahhh, that’s been in storage for a long while. Andrew and I hold Keira for all her naps (even when Halmoni’s here) and we all sleep together at night. She wakes up around 5:30–6:15 a.m. and needs me (and only me) to go to bed with her, too. So that whole “wake up before baby” or “unwind once they’re down” thing is not part of the picture right now, lol.

But that’s this season — and I actually love it very much. We’re in a flow that I’m deeply grateful for. However, keeping up with deadlines is a challenge some weeks, especially after a rough night (oof, teething). I don’t have the built-in buffer I did pre-baby. And because nap time = work time, I can’t just use those windows to recharge. Sooo, I’ve had to get a little creative.

What does self-care look like when you’re rarely alone? What does it look like when your baby contact naps, co-sleeps, and is into everything?

Here are the small shifts I’ve been leaning into — the sneaky, low-effort things that help me feel like myself, without needing more time than I actually have.