Why We Need Gentle Self-Care Practices for Homeschool Moms (Now More Than Ever)
December often pulls homeschool moms in every direction — responsibilities pile up, emotions run high, and your own needs quietly slip to the background. Whether you’re part of my 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge or simply reading this in a moment of exhaustion, I want to offer gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms.
Not pressure, not another self-improvement strategy, and not another thing to fit into your day.(Because I know you don’t got time for that!)
Just a gentle return. A remembering and a coming home…to you.
Before you go any further, take one small moment: place your hand on your heart, take a long breath down to your belly.
This is where gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms begin — not with a task, but with presence.
This is where gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms begin — not with activities alone, but most importantly, with presence.
The Season I Lost Myself — and the Breath That Brought Me Back
I know what it feels like to live in a constant state of rushing:
“Are they okay?”
“What do they need?”
“How can I make this easier for everyone?”
Meanwhile, you never stop long enough to ask yourself how you are doing… or what you need… or how you want your home to feel.
I’ve lived seasons where I was reactive, overstimulated, overtired, and wondering why I snapped at the people I adored most. I wasn’t doing it because I was a “bad mom” — but because I was disconnected from myself.
This is why gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms matter so deeply. They reconnect you to the woman beneath the noise.
The Tiny Practice That Changed My Entire Internal Landscape
My turning point didn’t come from a new curriculum, a new schedule, or a new system.
It came from a pause.
Every day at 11 a.m., I would stop. (Why 11 am, you ask? Because that was the time I was most frequently losing my mind. What’s your moment?)
So I put my hand on my heart.
I took one slow breath.
Then I’d ask myself:
- What’s happening inside me right now?
- What thought came before this feeling?
- Is the story in my head even true?
- Is there another way to understand what just happened?
- What do I need right now?
This daily pause — small, consistent, compassionate — slowly brought me back to myself.
This is what I mean by gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms: care that is humane, sustainable, nervous-system-supportive, and rooted in inner connection.
A Question to Bring You Back to Your Body Today
If you only do one thing today, let it be this:
Where in your body do you feel the most tired?
Not what’s wrong. Not what needs fixing.
Simply: Where is the exhaustion living?
And then ask:
What is that part asking for?
Awareness is the first step toward returning home to yourself.
A Breath Practice for the Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom
If nothing else happens today, take three intentional breaths:
- one in the morning
- one at midday
- then one before bed
Three breaths that say:
“I’m not abandoning myself today.”
This is the simplest and most powerful beginning of gentle self-care practices for homeschool moms — being present is your goal.
If you end today even 2% softer, clearer, or more grounded, you’ve done enough.
You’re not a “bad mom” and you’re not failing.
You’re just tired. And likelyl doing too much. And tired women need gentle self-care practices.
If You Want More Nourishment…
Join me for the 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge — a slow, kind, grounding experience designed to help you reconnect with yourself, regulate your emotions, and bring more calm into your home.
Not hustle.
Not striving.
Just a softer way of living your homeschool life.
To the Woman Reading This…
If any part of this resonates — if you recognize your own patterns of over-functioning, self-forgetting, or carrying too much — please know you don’t have to walk this alone.
Maybe safety felt conditional, or you learned to earn love by meeting everyone else’s needs.
Or maybe you’re carrying grief or stories that were never yours to carry.
I’ve walked this path too — from losing myself to returning to myself.
If you’re ready to step into who you truly are, I’d be honoured to walk beside you.
➤ Learn more about coaching with Teresa here.
Bolster Boundaries at the Holidays for Homeschool Moms
Introducing the ultimate guide for homeschool moms navigating the holiday whirlwind: the ‘Boundary Bolstering Journaling Workbook.’ Crafted to help you thrive amidst unique seasonal challenges, this 31-page gem offers strategies and thought-provoking journal prompts. Discover how to establish boundaries, clarify needs, and embrace your true self. Make this holiday a time of internal empowerment and joy on your terms!
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Teresa Wiedrick
I help overwhelmed homeschool mamas shed what’s not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
