FYI: I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. There is a full affiliate disclosure that you can find here.
When children enter our lives and we become parents, things change. Before, it was all about us. What we wanted, when we wanted it and that’s it. Now, this little person relies on us for everything. Our wants and desires are often put on the back burner. Self-care often goes right down the drain.
How often have you heard moms discuss the last time they took a shower alone or read more than the back of a cereal box? It always makes me cringe to hear that parents think this is acceptable. It’s not. Being a parent doesn’t make you a martyr. How long you can go without washing your hair isn’t a badge to wear proudly.
What is self-care?
Self-care is the practice of taking actions to preserve or improve ones own health.
Think about that for a minute.
When you do not practice self-care, you are risking your health. Your child needs a health parent, right? How can you be the best parent you can be if you are neglecting your health?
Self-care isn’t necessarily taking an entire day off, running away or hiding in the bathroom. It’s simply making sure that your needs are met. This means not sacrificing every minute of the day.
Ways to take care of you
Sometimes the thought of self-care is overwhelming. What do you need? How do you take care of yourself? Here are a few ways you can make time for yourself:
- Set aside 30 minutes to read anything YOU want to read.
- Watch TV. Avoid Disney, Nickelodeon and the kids version of Netflix.
- Get up early. Kids get up at 7? Get up at 6 and have an hour to yourself.
- Schedule time for yourself while the kids are preoccupied. Sports? Playdate? bring a book, listen to your favorite playlist or just nap!
- Take time to spend with your friends. We all have that friend that never hangs out cause they are always at home or a child related activity. Don’t be that friend.
- Date night. It is SOOOOOOO important to date your significant other. My husband and I have had a standing date night every week. No talking about kids or responsibilities. Just enjoy being together.
- Go to bed early. Get some rest! Put all the electronics away, turn on your diffuser with lavender and crawl under those covers!
- Delegate chores. Ok, I struggle with delegation cause, well, I do everything the “right” way. Sometimes you have to hand over the reigns an be ok with how ever it turns out. DO NOT micromanage!
- Work out. You will feel so much better.
- Journal. Sometimes just writing things down gets it out. Your can throw it away, make it all artsy or just scribble away.
- Craft. Spend time working on your favorite craft. It can be an easy DIY or something that takes time to complete. Just do it.
Now that you have a list to go by, what are something you can add to it? What will you try first?
Leave a Reply