Need a Break? Treating Yourself to a Solo Date

*This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

Any hard working mother knows that sometimes you just need a break. Too often women neglect their own self-care and relaxation in favor of caring for our families and other responsibilities. While that’s an admirable trait, you do need to take time for yourself, too. A happy mother is a healthy mother, and it sets a good example for your kids!

Even when we do take time for ourselves, though, often we just spend it loafing in front of the tv or stealing a few moments to read on the back porch. We’re still at the kids’ beck and call, still halfway engaged with the family’s needs, and it isn’t true relaxation if you’re just sitting in the bathtub scrolling through your phone. Sometimes you need to take it a step further. One great way to take time for yourself and truly pamper and care for yourself is to take yourself out for a solo date! 

The solo date is an awesome way to get back in tune with yourself with a few much needed hours alone, doing the things you love doing best. Wine and dine yourself! Why not go out to your favourite restaurant, get a private booth in the corner, order exactly what you want and take your time savouring every bite?

When your meal is over, why not go do something fun? If dancing is your thing, hit up a dance club or show! You can take yourself to that movie you’ve been dying to see, or grab some theatre or musical tickets from TodayTix to treat yourself to a show. If you’re the time of mother who is unable to sit still and always needs to be doing something productive, you can take a yoga class, or go to one of those bars that also teach you to paint a famous portrait! 

If money is tight, there are other ways to take yourself on a solo date that don’t break the bank. Pack yourself a picnic and head out to the park for an afternoon with just you and a book. If you have a sitter, why not schedule a night away and go visit a friend or family member you’ve been missing? Even just a night away from everyone to catch up on a bit of shopping can be a fun and rewarding activity, so long as it’s something you actually want to do, rather than a necessity or chore.

Studies show that mothers who indulge in hobbies and passions and still cultivate their own separate lives from their children are on average heappier, healthier and less stressed. Their children thrive, too, from the example they set. Of course your family is your first priority, but that old adage is true about not being able to fill from an empty cup. If you dial back all the parts of yourself for the good of others, eventually you’re left with nothing else to give. 

Taking the odd night off to treat yourself to some solo time isn’t just a perk – it’s essential.