Moms seem to have a built-in guilt mechanism that kicks in whenever they feel the need to get away from being a mother. They worry about their kids suffering in their absence, and they worry that they are being bad mothers.

But taking time to relax and to take care of yourself is precisely what you need to be able to perform your mommy tasks more efficiently. In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey calls this "sharpening the saw." According to Covey, this "means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual."

Read on to find out how to you can get away from time to time in order to recharge.


(Photo by Matthew C. Wright via Flickr Creative Commons)