Importance of self-care as a parent

For many parents, finding time for yourself can be a challenge as a lot of us are trying to juggle home and work life on top of our family and relationships. 

Going through life day by day, putting everyone else’s needs before your own, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself and put some of your needs first. 

It’s not selfish and parents definitely shouldn’t feel guilty for needing some space to unwind. 

You’ll be surprised at how many parents feel guilt for taking a couple of minutes each day to have a quick breather and maybe even a cheeky bit of chocolate, but we’re all human and we all need some time to recharge our batteries. 

I used to feel awful about standing in the next room and just getting some fresh air from the back door and I still do sometimes but then I think I need to take care of myself so that I can take care of my children and that’s the advice I would give to anybody. 

It’s important to take care of our physical body as well as our mental and emotional well-being. Mental health is a cause that a lot of people are opening up about more, especially parents. Parents are using social media platforms nowadays to show the “realistic” side of being a parent and that not everything is happy all the time which I bet every parent can relate to. There are times when we as parents struggle and get low but it’s important to reach out to those who are going through the same issues and talk - letting something off your chest can do wonders. 

Taking care of your physical body is crucial, it’s important to try and maintain a healthy balanced diet, I’m not saying cut out those weekend takeaways as that gives us something to look forward to but by maintaining a balanced diet not only helps keep your physical body healthy but certain foods are great for helping anxiety. 

Exercise is also a great way to look after both your physical body and your mental health, it doesn’t have to be running 5k or hiking up a mountain it can just be a walk or yoga. 

Now I know this next step of self care is a tricky one, especially with young children but sleep is a great source of self care. 

Not only does sleep recharge your body but it give you time away from reality, it lets you relax without having 100 things running across your mind. 

Try getting your children into some sort of night routine so that you can get a good night sleep and there’s no harm in having a little daytime nap while your children are at daycare. 

We all love being parents but sometimes it’s good to remember who we were before we began changing nappies and being sleep deprived. If you had a hobby or passion before having children that’s been pushed as side due to your busy schedule, it may be a good idea to try and set some time aside to start up one of those hobbies again. By finding time to engage in something you enjoy can have a positive impact on your self esteem. 

Most importantly as parents it’s important to know that we have people who we can reach out to and if things are becoming a little tough and we really can’t re energize then there are people who are willing to listen and offer a helping hand.