Six Ways for Parents to Practice Self-Care
Can something so rewarding be exhausting? Being a parent is, without a doubt, very rewarding and a true blessing. However, it can sometimes feel exhausting when you get caught up with the duties and responsibilities that come with parenting and marinating a positive family dynamic. It is usual for parents to neglect themselves because we get so caught up with ensuring our kids are taking care of first. As a wife and a stay-at-home mother of two super outgoing boys, I am often searching for ways to practice self-care.
Why is Self-care Necessary?
Self-care is necessary to maintain your overall well being and prevent burn out. Taking a break from the kids sounds like a terrible thing to do. It almost sounds like parents are neglecting their kids in the process of taking care of their well-being. That is just a classic case of "parent guilt"; as parents, Being in a good state of mind avoids frustration and projection of anger towards kids. This is why parents need to take quality time to take care of themselves. I often feel guilty for leaving my kids to get a few minutes or two of a break. Self-care is crucial in preventing physical and mental burnout. A few benefits parents may get from taking care of themselves are described below, along with "Six Ways to Provide Self-care."
Few Benefits of Self-care
1. Healthy Relationship with Self and Others.
2. Produces Positive Feelings.
3. Enhances your self-esteem.
4. Builds Confidence.
5. Helps manage stress.
Six Ways For Parents to Practice Self-care.
1. Eat healthy and well-balanced meals. Eating healthy nourishes your body and gives you the energy you'll need to function effectively throughout the day. As busy parents, this may not be easy to incorporate but creating an eating schedule may be helpful and a good reminder when and what to eat at specific times.
2. Developing a routine that will allow time to rest. Resting for me means taking a few minutes out of the day to gather your thoughts, or relax before tackling household chores, kids' routine or completing the daily task.
3. Get an adequate amount of sleep. It is hard to function effectively on exhaustion. When the body is over-exhausted, it can lead to possible weight loss, anxiety, health problems, frustration, burnout, and stress. Take care of yourself by ensuring you are getting an adequate amount of sleep. It may sound minor, but it is essential to rest for our body to function effectively.
4. Surround yourself with positive people. People that'll uplift your spirit and speak positivity in your life. Surround yourself with other parents who'll encourage you by providing insight and resources to help your development as a parent. Join parenting groups and forums, read how other moms function as parents and maintain themselves through self-care.
5. Laugh as often as possible; it is good for relieving stress. The website Mayoclonic.org reveals that laughter stimulates many of our organs, it activates and relieves a person's response to stress and soothes their tensions.
6. Find a hobby, something you enjoy that'll keep you entertained, relaxed, happy and at peace. Examples of some hobbies that may be of interest are: knitting, reading, baking, writing, playing sports, going for walks or even drawing. These are examples of things that a person can engage in to release their anxiety or stressors while satisfying their overall needs. Find what works for you.
There's a sense of Joy in Parenting, but finding that space and time to provide personal self-care is vital for the family unit's overall function.