Exhausted Moms Need Hobbies, Too

When you become a parent, it’s very easy to lose yourself in those early newborn moments. Sinking into motherhood takes some time, and yet, when you are a stay-at-home mother, you still need to have some hobbies and some things that keep you interested in life outside of your baby. Not only do you need something positive to focus on, you need to be reminded that it’s OK to take time out for yourself occasionally. The fact is that most mothers don’t realize they are worthy of taking time for themselves, and they believe that they need to dedicate every waking second to a newborn. It’s just not the case. You are already dedicating every second of your life to a newborn baby because even when you take up a hobby, your mind will still be on your child and their needs. 

Moms often use the simple hobby of playing spider solitaire while they are feeding their babies or tending to them so that they don’t have to make themselves have a break. Instead of losing yourself in motherhood entirely, you have to remember that you were a person before you became a mother. You were your whole own person who did things and enjoyed things and had a life. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the hobbies that you need. Whether you are an exhausted mother or not, you deserve some hobbies too.

1. Art. There are so many different facets to art that it can be a giant hobby, but if you love to doodle, then there’s something hugely therapeutic about putting pen to paper. Emptying your mind and seeing whether doodles take you is a great way to create abstract art by drawing different patterns and joining lines. You can take your doodling when you’re on the phone or when you’re breastfeeding to new heights. There are so many different ways that you can draw and have fun, but art is going to be a great creative outlet for you.
2. Create your own Zen garden. When you’re a stay-at-home parent, life can become so busy. You may have plans to go out one day but realize it’s been 6 hours, you still haven’t left the house because every single time you try the baby has pooped or needs a feed. Instead of trying to run yourself into the ground, you need to make instead yourself feel grounded. Taking yourself out into your own space in the garden when the baby is asleep gives you a chance to get out into nature. You can then create your own Zen garden. Decorating your garden with Moss, pebbles, or statues can give you something to feel creative over.
3. Indulge in cross stitch. This is not just something for grandmothers to indulge in but for new mothers, too. Cross stitch is back, and it’s never been better. You don’t have to sit in a rocking chair and decorate a tablecloth. Cross stitch is a great hobby and a great mindfulness activity that keeps your hands busy. The best part is that you can allow your creativity to really float and feel like you are distressing your mind.
4. Annotate your library. If you ever read a book and you’ve fallen in love with a particular quote or sentence, then you need to learn to start annotating your books. This basically means adding your personal comments on the pages of the book or highlighting sections that you love. If you don’t want to write directly onto the pages of your library collection, you can use small stickers and tabs to help you keep track. Transparent sticky notes are great for this because then you can find where your space is. Not only will you feel closer to the text, but it’s a great way to get your thoughts across and zone out. You don’t have to ruin a whole library’s worth of books to be able to annotate, so don’t believe that you should.
5. Spend some money on watercolors. If you love to do art but you’re not very keen on sketching, watercolouring could be a great hobby for you. The best part is that you can set up an easel in the same room where the baby is sleeping and just let your creativity wander. Taking out into the garden gives you something positive to focus on and reminds you that it’s OK to take time out for yourself. Shading is so much easier with a set of watercolors, and the whole process awakens the side of you that is most artistic. It’s super simple to clean up and easy to set up, which means it’s perfect for those stay-at-home moms who are battling the routines of a newborn.

Image source: Pexels

6. Try to avoid doom scrolling. A hobby that most moms come up with is to get onto TikTok and find their niche. Here’s the thing about that: TikTok is addictive. It’s designed to keep your attention in short, snappy videos, which means it’s much harder for you to concentrate longer-term on things. When you avoid doom scrolling, you give your brain a break and sometimes you just need that moment to nap. If you have the opportunity at that point, your baby naps, then take the opportunity if you want to. If you want to sit back with a good book, then open the book rather than scroll to find one. As an exhausted mom, you need to make sure that your brain stays as relaxed as possible, and doom scrolling won’t help.
7. Make your earrings. If you would like to get crafty, then why not start making your jewelry? Not only could this be a fun hobby, but it can also be a little bit of a side hustle for you because if you get really good at polymer clay earrings, you’ll be able to sell them online. You can play with new techniques and show off your beautiful designs, and they can really make some amazing gifts. The best part is that you don’t really need much to make polymer earrings, and it really does force you to sit still and concentrate for some time.
8. Follow a dance workout on YouTube. A fun hobby that’s going to give you a good workout is to dance. If you used to love being out every weekend dancing and you don’t get a chance to do that anymore, then find a great dance workout with the music that you love the most and follow along at home. Once the baby goes down for a nap, you’ll be able to squeeze in a 15-minute workout plus a shower and, if you’re really lucky, an entire meal in that time. Dancing to YouTube videos may seem like a weird way to spend your time or a weird hobby, but honestly, if you are somebody who loves dancing, then it’s a great way to spend your time because you can feel like you can recapture yourself again.
9. Binge-watch your favorite show. When you’re dealing with the routines, or lack thereof, from a newborn, you need something to keep your mind occupied and binge-watching a TV show is a great way to do that. Either finding something new on Netflix or watching an old favorite like Desperate Housewives, you’ll be able to really find your Zen again and feel like you’re grounded.
10. Go for a walk. Bundling up the baby into the pushchair and going for a long walk is a great way to spend your time. As long as you have packed the baby bag with everything that you need just in case the baby wakes up from a nap, you’re going to be just fine. You’re allowed to breastfeed in any way you want to, and if you’re bottle feeding, bring a warm bottle with you if you know that the baby will be close to feeding time after a while. Getting out into fresh air is not just good for you, but it’s also good for the baby. And you can always pop some headphones in and listen to our podcast or audiobook while you walk. When the baby’s up and awake, you’ll be able to sit and let the baby have a look around at the world around them.
11. Play online games. A great hobby that you can start as a stay-at-home parent is playing online games. Whether you play mobile games on your phone or you play things like solitaire solo on your laptop, you can sit and play games and feel like you’re reconnecting to the world again. Gaming isn’t just for single parents or single people. Gaming is for everybody and there’s always a game out there that you can play.

Exhausted mothers deserve time out, too. Remember to take yours and roll with it—you deserve time.