Self-Care Through the Seasons of Motherhood: How Our Team Takes Care of Ourselves

"How do you find time for self-care?" This is one of the questions I hear most often from clients—especially from other parents trying to navigate the demands of raising children while also caring for their own bodies and spirits.

This month at Mountain Mama Massage, we're in a season of celebrating transitions. Jeanne and Shelly are both watching their sons graduate from high school and step into young adulthood. Kayla is in the thick of toddlerhood with her two-year-old. And me? I'm chasing my four-year-old while growing baby number two.

As massage therapists, we spend our days caring for others' bodies. As mothers, we spend our energy caring for our families. But what about caring for ourselves?

I asked our team to share honestly about their self-care practices—not the idealized Instagram version, but the real, messy, imperfect ways we actually take care of ourselves through different stages of motherhood. Here's what we do.

Daily Self-Care: The Small Moments That Sustain Us

Shelly is always the first one up in her house. While her coffee brews, she looks out the windows—watching for stars, the moon, sunrise colors, or whatever else is happening outside. Lately she's been listening for birds too. On her morning dog walks, she practices grounding herself by noticing what she's seeing, hearing, and smelling.

Jeanne exercises with her neighbor first thing in the morning and tries to read for 15-30 minutes before bed. She gives herself bonus points for remembering to put peppermint foot balm on her feet and let it absorb while she's reading.

Kayla spends a few minutes every day cuddling her dog. It really calms her nervous system and forces her to take a few moments for herself—something that's not always easy when you have a toddler demanding your attention.

For me (Faith), I savor a moment drinking tea or coffee every morning. I try to get outside every day, even if it's just standing in the backyard. And I aim for at least 10 minutes of playing with my kid without multitasking and without directing the play—just being present.

What strikes me about our daily practices is how simple they are. No one's doing elaborate morning routines or hour-long rituals. We're talking about coffee, a walk with the dog, reading before bed, cuddling a pet. These aren't grand gestures—they're small moments of presence woven into the fabric of regular life.

Regular Self-Care: The Practices We Return To

Beyond daily moments, we each have practices we return to regularly that help us feel more like ourselves.

Shelly takes walks and hikes, goes to classes like yoga, Pilates, or LaBlast (a joyful dance movement class at her local rec center), and sings in a choir. Movement and music are clearly her anchors.

Jeanne tries to say no to most evening commitments right now because she wants to be home if her teenagers decide to be conversational. She's learned that some seasons of parenting call for protecting space rather than filling it.

Kayla practices what she preaches and gets a massage once or twice a month. Her body just feels so much better when she does, and she finds working and playing with her young son difficult when she goes too long without bodywork.

For me, I get acupuncture on a super-regular basis, hike with a friend biweekly or monthly, chat with family, and try to spend close to a full day in nature when I can.

These regular practices are where we invest more time and often more intention. They're the things we protect in our schedules, the appointments we keep with ourselves, the commitments that help us stay grounded through the chaos of raising children.

The Splurges:

When We Go Big

And then there are the splurges—the self-care practices that happen less frequently but fill our cups in profound ways.

Jeanne splurges on travel, which makes her feel like an explorer and a good world citizen when she learns about new places, whether locally or internationally.

Shelly doesn't have specific splurges but loves to travel too. For the past couple of decades, she's gone on backpacking trips about once a year with a group of dear friends. In the past couple of years, she's taken some solo road trips that felt particularly nourishing.

Kayla spends a day or two at hot springs at least twice a year. Not only is the water great for her body and skin, she also gets all the benefits of being outdoors and reconnecting with mother earth.

For me, every 2-5 years I go on a longer yoga and meditation retreat, ideally with extended periods of silence. And every decade or so, I go to a beautiful place on the California coast while visiting family for a day-long massage, soak, and mindfulness experience.

These aren't weekly or even monthly practices. They're the experiences we save for, plan around, and look forward to—the deep restoration that carries us through the everyday.

What Self-Care Actually Looks Like at Different Stages

Here's what's interesting: our self-care practices look different depending on where we are in the motherhood journey.

With young children (Kayla and me), self-care often means finding moments within the chaos—cuddling the dog between diaper changes, savoring morning coffee before the toddler wakes, playing without an agenda. It's about presence in small pockets of time and regular bodywork to handle the physical demands of caring for little ones.

With teenagers (Jeanne and Shelly), self-care shifts. There's more freedom for morning exercise routines, evening reading, choir practice, and dance classes. But there's also the intentional choice to be home in the evenings, to create space for connection when teenagers suddenly want to talk.

Across all stages, we see common threads: movement, nature, connection (whether with friends, family, or pets), and practices that ground us in our bodies and the present moment.

Permission to Start Where You Are

If you're reading this and thinking "I don't do any of those things," I want to offer you some gentle perspective.

Self-care doesn't have to be all or nothing. You don't need a morning routine, a regular massage practice, and annual retreats to be taking care of yourself. Maybe right now, self-care is just remembering to drink water. Maybe it's saying no to one thing this week. Maybe it's asking your partner to take the kids so you can take a shower without interruption.

The season of motherhood you're in matters. What's possible with a newborn is different from what's possible with a teenager. What serves you this year might not be what serves you next year. Self-care is allowed to evolve.

The Permission to Imperfection

None of us do all of these things all the time. Jeanne gives herself "bonus points" for remembering the foot balm—which means she doesn't always remember. I try to get outside every day and try to play without multitasking—which means some days I don't succeed.

We're massage therapists who work with bodies for a living, and even we don't have perfect self-care practices. We forget, we get busy, we let things slide. And then we come back to what nourishes us when we can.

Building Your Own Practice

If you're looking to strengthen your own self-care, here are some questions to consider:

What small moment could you savor tomorrow morning? It doesn't have to be elaborate. Coffee, tea, looking out the window, a few deep breaths before the day begins.

What practice helps you feel most like yourself? Movement, stillness, connection, solitude, creativity, nature? What makes you feel grounded?

What would deep restoration look like for you? A massage, a day at the hot springs, a girl’s weekend, a solo trip, a retreat? What's the thing you dream about when you imagine truly filling your cup?

You don't have to implement everything at once. Start with one small thing. Protect one regular practice. Dream about one splurge. Build from there.

We're Here to Support You

At Mountain Mama Massage, we understand that taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's essential. Whether you're in the newborn fog, the toddler chaos, the elementary school juggling act, or the teenage years of unexpected conversations, your body and spirit need tending.

If regular massage feels out of reach right now, that's okay. But if it's something you've been considering, know that many of our clients find that prioritizing bodywork helps them show up better for their families. When your body feels cared for, you have more capacity for everything else.

We see you in all the stages of motherhood. We celebrate the high school graduations and the new pregnancies, the terrible twos and the college years. And we're here to support your body through all of it.

What does self-care look like for you right now? I'd genuinely love to hear. Share your practices next time you're in for a massage, or send me an email at hello@mountainmamamassage.com.

You deserve care too. 💚

Ready to prioritize your own body care?Book a massage and give yourself the gift of being cared for.