America Ferrera Shares Self Care Struggles & Every Mom Will Relate

In a lengthy and honest Instagram post, America Ferrera shared the ‘story behind the smile’ as she struggles to find time for self-care

We all know how important self-care is. But when you’re a busy mom, with a household to maintain, a job to do, kids to keep alive — it’s pretty easy for self-care to get relegated to the bottom of the to-do list every day, for better or for worse. That’s the struggle America Ferrera has been having lately, and she recently opened up about it in a very honest and real Instagram post that will have every mom nodding along and saying, “Yep, that’s me.”

Alongside a beaming selfie, Ferrera told her followers that she wanted to tell them “The story behind this smile.”

“I’ve been beating myself up trying to figure out yet again how to factor in self-care, telling myself that maybe I’m just too lazy, or bad at managing my time, or still don’t value myself enough,” she wrote. Um, yep, relatable already.

Then she continued, “But I had a rare morning all to myself today because the kids had an early doctors appointment that my husband took them to. So I made myself breakfast and ate it when it was actually hot, with a cup of coffee that was actually hot, while listening to a podcast. And then I worked out without being interrupted, and took a hot shower alone. I feel like a billion bucks!”

We know you know the feeling, mamas. A surprise few hours of alone time? Uninterrupted workout? Peaceful shower? Drinking the coffee while it’s still hot?

“But more importantly, I realized that I know perfectly well how to care for myself, and that I am not a problem!” Ferrera continued. “The truth is, it’s hard enough to show up everyday for my kids, my marriage, my work, etc … so when I don’t get to show up for myself everyday, it doesn’t mean I’m failing, it means it’s hard to be everything I wanna be.”

Ferrera ended her post with a thought that every mom should carry with them today: “I don’t have to be everything on every day. So I offer myself, and you, this: on the days we can’t find ‘me time’, may we at least not beat ourselves up about it, and remind ourselves we’re doing good. I’m grateful for this reframe, and for the precious time I had for myself today.”

That’s that on that — moms, you are enough and you are doing great.