Becoming a mum is a massive life shift. The postpartum period marks the start of a long journey where you might feel like yourself again, even years after your children are born. The fact of the matter is that your life has changed, and so have you.
That’s not to say, though, that losing yourself is an inevitable part of being a mum. While your confidence can take a hit after giving birth, with anywhere between 30% to 70% of new mummas suffering from low self-esteem, it doesn’t have to be a permanent change. There are ways to regain your spark and grab life by both hands, all while conquering the ups and downs of motherhood.
Take a peek at these confidence booster tips for mums living in London and get yourself back on track.
1. Schedule Your Beauty Appointments
Self-confidence after having children isn’t all about image, but it doesn’t hurt to feel beautiful. Scheduling your cosmetic appointments in advance ensures you’re still prioritising those little self-care routines, making them a non-negotiable in your calendar.
Another perk of scheduling in some beauty TLC is that it gives you a reason to get out of the house, and one that’s purely for yourself. You don’t have to bring your kids with you (liberating!), giving you that time alone to rest and refresh.
Start by scheduling your essential appointments, like haircuts, dental treatments, and nails. Look for clinics where you can add confidence-boosting extras to your standard appointment, too, for a well-deserved glow-up.
If you’re choosing a dentist, for instance, choose somewhere like the Baudelaire Dental Clinic in Marylebone, which offers cosmetic dentistry alongside standard check-ups. This makes it easier to book in for teeth whitening alongside your hygiene appointment.
2. Invest in Your Skincare Routine
London mums need to invest in skincare. While pollution is much lower in the city than it once was, it’s still high enough to make looking after your skin a priority. Good skin is a major confidence booster, too, and an essential part of self-care.
When we talk about investing in a skincare routine, this isn’t just about money, but about time. Do your research to find the products and ingredients that’ll target your areas of concern, making your routine more impactful with fewer lotions and potions.
If you struggle with postpartum dryness, for instance, look for ingredients with ceramides or hyaluronic acid. Byoma’s Phyto-Mucin Glow Serum and The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 are cult favourites for dry skin mummas.
You can also analyse your products using tools like INCIDecoder, which tells you more about the individual ingredients in your skincare go-tos. It’s handy for finding products that are actually going to help your skin and curating a flawless routine.
3. Read Your Way to Confidence
There’s a whole new generation of confidence-boosting books out there ready to be explored. Carve out time alone, make yourself a cuppa, and snuggle up in your reading nook with a book whose only goal is to make you feel better about yourself.
Top picks to boost confidence in your 30s include:
- You Are a Badass – Jen Sincero
- Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? – Dr Julie Smith
- Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes
- You’ve Got This – Domonique Bertoluccy
There are also tons of books to help you grow your confidence as a mum. Raising a Happier Mother (Anna Mathur) is a brilliant read regardless of what age your children are, while Remaining You While Raising Them (Alli Worthington) is a cult classic for navigating motherhood without losing yourself.
Aside from the fountains of knowledge held within these books, reading itself is brilliant for wellbeing and rewiring our brains. It’s a win-win hobby that could be transformative for your confidence.
4. Prioritise Exercise
Self-care for busy mums isn’t easy, and exercise is often one of the first routines to go. If you’re guilty of ditching the gym or stopping yoga after becoming a mum, this is your sign to get back into fitness.
Regular exercise is linked to an increase in self-esteem, making it essential for growing your confidence. It helps you sleep better, reduces stress, and is a major mood booster, too, all of which contribute to making you feel more like you again.
London has endless exercise opportunities that are perfect for celebrating your body. For budget-friendly workouts, join the London parkrun or London City Runners, both of which are completely free.
There are also hundreds of gyms in the city, including the famous Barry’s and Gymbox.
For new mums, look into baby and me classes, like those offered by Barrecore and Milo and the Bull. You can bring your little one along to the session, and classes are geared towards gentle fitness to regain strength in the postpartum period.
5. Surround Yourself With Love
Motherhood can be a lonely experience, which definitely isn’t good for confidence. Make sure you’re maintaining a solid community of uplifting, supportive friends and family as you navigate your 30s in the city.
Focus particularly on the people who make you feel good. When you’re a busy mum, you have very little time for people who put you down or leave you feeling more deflated than energised! But a catch-up with a truly supportive friend can do wonders for your self-esteem.
If you don’t have a community around you, you’re in the right place to make one. London is full of opportunities to meet new people, and there are specific groups geared towards making friends as an adult. Meetup, for instance, hosts social events and trips that anyone can join, while Eventbrite is full of Make Friends Events.
6. Do It Anyway
Our final tip to boost your confidence? Get out there and do it anyway. Even when you might not be feeling up to it, attend that mummy and me class, head to the park with your kids, or go out for a drink with the girls.
By simply living your life, your confidence will naturally grow and you’ll start to remember who you are. Sure, those first steps might feel a little awkward and uncomfortable, but each time you do it anyway, you prove to yourself that you’re capable.
So pop on your best outfit and get out of the door. London is buzzing with opportunities to connect, laugh, and rediscover yourself, and you deserve to be part of it, just as you are right now.
You’re a mum, you’re in your 30s, and you’re in London. The world’s your oyster! We hope these confidence-boosting tips have given you the pep talk you need to embrace life (and motherhood) in all of its messy, unexpected, and glorious ways.
Looking for more articles like this? Check out the latest Mums Tips in London Mums Magazine.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
