Posted by Sharee Gibson on March 02, 2025

My Habit-Building Trick for Self Care

I’m so excited to cover a new topic in our Sanity-Saving Systems series: Self-care.

Not the aspirational, spa-day version—but the small routines and habits that help us, as moms, actually take care of ourselves.

If you're anything like me, time for self-care isn’t always easy. Some days it feels as elusive as finding quiet in a house full of kids. But what I’ve learned is this: self-care doesn’t happen by accident—it happens through systems.

This approach to self-care is especially helpful for busy moms who feel overwhelmed, burned out, or stuck starting and stopping routines that never seem to last.

Today, I want to share the idea behind a system that’s been a game-changer for me—one that helped self-care stop feeling like a “nice-to-have” and start feeling doable.

💡 Why Self-Care Still Matters (Especially When You’re a Busy Mom)

When your to-do list never seems to end, it feels counterintuitive to take time for yourself. But I think of it like the quote from Dr. John Kabat-Zinn:

"You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.”

The extra busy phase of motherhood is when we need to pour into ourselves the most. Even if it’s just a few minutes at a time, those moments matter—and they add up.

The challenge for us moms isn’t knowing that self-care matters. We know.
It’s figuring out how to make self-care routines actually stick.

📝 The Self-Care Habit Shift That I Swear By

One of the biggest reasons self-care routines fall apart is that we focus so much on what we plan to do—and almost never pause to acknowledge what we’ve already done.

When progress goes unnoticed, it’s easy to feel like we’re always behind, always failing, always not doing “enough.” That mindset leads quickly to burnout.

What changed everything for me was what I call my Already Done System—a simple shift that helped me start noticing and valuing the care that was already happening, even on the hardest days.

This isn’t about adding more to your plate.
It’s about changing how you relate to the effort you’re already making.

(I walk through the Already Done System step-by-step inside the email series.)

There’s a reason this approach works: acknowledging progress gives your brain a small dopamine boost, which psychology tells us is key to building habits that last. Many of us (myself included) are great at planning and doing—but terrible at pausing to recognize the small wins before moving on to the next thing.

If you’ve ever been to therapy (big fan over here 🙋), this might sound familiar. Therapists do this all the time—helping you reflect on progress so your brain can register success and stay motivated.

✨ My Own Self-Care Story:

One of my biggest self-care priorities is moving my body regularly. Not because of “bounce back” pressure, but because it makes me feel strong, capable, and like myself again.

For a long time, I struggled with feeling like my workouts were inconvenient for my family. Taking time away as soon as my husband was off work or sneaking away on a Saturday morning felt selfish.

Eventually, I realized something important: I am worth the inconvenience.

I even wrote it on a sticky note in front of my treadmill: You are worth more than easy.

Using my Already Done System helped shift my mindset. Whether it was a full workout, a 10-minute stretch, or a walk to the park with my Freckle Bag, seeing those moments written down changed the story I was telling myself from “I’m not doing enough” to “Wow, look at all I did.”

Want the Full Self-Care System?

This post is just a glimpse of the self-care system I use—one designed for real moms with full lives, not endless free time.

If you want the full breakdown of the Already Done System, plus how it fits into my other Sanity-Saving Systems…

👉 Join my free 7-Day Sanity-Saving Systems Series.
Each day, I share one practical system to help motherhood feel lighter, calmer, and more supported.