Back-to-School Self-Care: Lowering the Bar Is Self-Care Too
September has a funny way of making moms believe they need to become the CEO of a small educational corporation overnight.
Schedules. Permission slips. Lunches. Homework. Sports. Activities. Shoes that apparently disappeared sometime around May.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, we’re told to remember to practice self-care.
Sure.
Let me just add that to the list.
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Maybe Your Self-Care Needs to Be a Little Less Impressive
Massage? Lovely.
Bubble bath? Great.
Yoga at sunrise while journaling about gratitude? Good for you, Gwyneth.
But sometimes mom self- care is eating something that doesn’t require preparation.
Welcome to Low-Effort Self-Care
Easy, No-Frills Dinner Counts
Frozen pizza. Leftovers. Cereal. Sandwiches.
Nobody has ever handed out a trophy because Mom produced a nutritionally optimized dinner on the third Tuesday of September.
The Laundry Can Wait
Going to bed instead of folding laundry.
Eat Your Lunch While It’s Still Hot
Not standing over the sink.
Or eating the kids’ crusts.
Not realizing at 3:17 p.m. that you’ve consumed half a granola bar and approximately 11 Goldfish crackers.
Actually. Eat. Lunch.
Say No to One More Thing
Not every activity needs to happen.
Every invitation doesn’t need a yes.
Not every kid needs to be involved in six extracurriculars.
And Mom doesn’t have to be the volunteer, room parent, snack coordinator, chauffeur and fundraiser for all of them.
Let the House Look Like People Live There
There is a difference between a filthy house and a lived-in house.
Backpacks on the floor? Lived-in.
Shoes by the door? Lived-in.
A laundry basket that has become a permanent piece of furniture? Let’s not discuss that one. Plus, why have you been looking at my house that closely?
Self-Care Doesn’t Have to Be Another Assignment
There’s a sneaky problem with the way we talk about self-care.
We can turn it into another thing moms are supposed to be doing correctly.
Schedule your self-care!
Make time for yourself!
Create your morning routine!
Drink your water!
Meditate!
Exercise!
And now Mom has a whole new list of things she feels guilty about not accomplishing.
Nope.
Sometimes self-care is subtraction.
Take something off the list.
Cancel the thing.
Buy the thing.
Skip the thing.
Go to bed.
Your September Permission Slip
This month, you have permission to…
Eat cereal for dinner.
Leave the dishes until morning.
Buy the cupcakes.
Decline the volunteer opportunity.
Wear the same jeans again.
Order takeout.
Go to bed with laundry unfolded.
Let the kids put away their own stuff.
Sit in your car in the driveway for ten minutes before going inside.
You are allowed to decide that “good enough” is actually good enough.
September doesn’t need a better version of you.
It probably just needs you with a little less pressure on your shoulders.
- Back-to-School Self-Care: Lowering the Bar Is Self-Care Too - September 17, 2026
- August Is the Sunday Night of Summer - August 28, 2026
- The Case for a Boring Summer Day - July 24, 2026
