Self Care Archives - 1to1help

Parenthood is a beautiful journey filled with love and growth, yet you find the need of self care while parenting as it can also be demanding and all-encompassing.

According to a study published in the “Journal of Family Psychology,” carving out personal time for self-care while parenting can lead to improved well-being and overall family satisfaction.

In this insightful guide, we will explore seven effective strategies to help parents find moments of respite and prioritize self-care amidst the joys and responsibilities of raising children. Discover how you can strike a balance between nurturing your own well-being and providing the best for your family.

Is It Normal To Feel Guilty Of Taking “Me-Time” While Parenting?

A parent once shared her experience of staying apart from her 4-year-old for the first time when she had to attend a two-day long conference in another town for work.

She definitely missed her child, but she also realised how much she was enjoying this time for herself.

Getting sound sleep, being able to read or take long showers, interacting with other professionals, being in a different environment- all of it made her feel calm and fresh.

This made her feel slightly guilty because she felt that she was supposed to not enjoy this time to herself and maybe she is a bad parent for doing this..

Parents tend to also feel guilty and selfish when they choose to focus on their own needs.

There’s no denying that as parents, we will want to prioritize our children and it genuinely may be tough for us to devote a lot of time to self-care.

However, it is equally true that making some time for ourselves is absolutely necessary if we want to:

Reduce our stress and stay physically and mentally healthy
Enhance our focus and energy levels
Improve our interactions with our children
Model healthy behaviour for our children

7 Ways To Make Time For Yourselves While Parenting:

Take tiny breaks whenever you can

It doesn’t matter if you can manage only 15 minutes or an hour, but ensure that you are spending some time by yourself in a day.

This could mean having a nice cup of tea in peace, taking a walk outside, reading, going for a quick run etc.

Collaborative Co-Parenting:

Image Credits: Pexels

Team up with your partner to create a support system. Alternate responsibilities, allowing each other time for personal pursuits.

This not only provides individual breaks but also strengthens your partnership as you work together to ensure everyone’s well-being.

Recommended Read: 7 Must Try Ways To Build Resilience In Children

Make parenting tasks fun

Make tasks fun or do self-care activities with your child if you feel that it won’t be possible at all to get time away just for yourself.

For example, when your child is reading or even colouring, sit down with them and read your own book or colour/paint. Or maybe while cooking or bathing the child, put on some nice music and dance to it/sing along.

Make conscious choices about how to spend your free time

If your child is napping or playing with friends, don’t always use that time only to finish chores.

That might be your only chance to either rest or pursue a hobby or do something fun for yourself.

Try to also minimize activities that involve screen time. Using social media or watching videos may not necessarily help you feel refreshed and other offline options could be more effective choices.

Schedule some time alone with your partner

Image Credits: Pixabay

As the parenting role takes more importance, couples often don’t get to spend enough time together away from the child.

Ensure that you consciously find time for this at least once a week. Do something fun/relaxing and avoid discussing parenting related or other responsibilities during this time. This is the time for you to reconnect as a couple!

Recommended Read: Are you a Helicopter Parent?

Practice mindfulness and self-compassion

Image Credits: Pexels

Spending even 2-5 minutes practising mindful breathing can help you find some calm amidst all the chaos. Move to a quiet corner, take in deep breaths, and focus only on your breathing for the time being.

Tell yourself that you are doing the best you can; we often are too harsh on ourselves and that further adds to the pressure and distress we feel.

You are already doing a lot and you need to pat yourself on the back each time you finish a chore, care for yourself, care for someone else!

Ask for help

None of us can do it all and it’s okay to get help and support from friends and family members when we need it.

Leave the child in the care of the other parent/other family members/a friend or neighbour who also has children, so that you get some breathing space for yourself.

Conclusion:

Parenthood and self-care need not be mutually exclusive. By implementing these seven strategies, you can prioritize your well-being and create a harmonious balance between parenting and self-care.

Remember, finding personal time while parenting is not only beneficial for you but also sets a positive example for your children, teaching them the importance of nurturing their own well-being.

References:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-ways-your-children-benefit-from-your passions_n_6705902?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/joyful-parenting/201708/25-simple-self-care-tools-parents
https://psychcentral.com/blog/tips-for-moms-to-make-time-for-themselves/
https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/why-parents-need-time-themselves
https://member.1to1help.net/articles/Spending-Quality-Time/MjI2
https://member.1to1help.net/articles/Unstructured-Play-Time-and-its-Importance-for-Your-Child/NjE=
https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/self-care-and-well-being/how-make-time-for-yourself-baby-8-tips
https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/self-care-strategies-for-parents-no-time
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/parenting/moments/me-time-is-an-integral-part-of-parenting-know-how-to-give-yourself-some-alone-time/articleshow/90515301.cms

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.

It takes special effort to evade social media these days. Initially seen as an interesting past time, social media has now evolved to meet multiple professional and personal needs as well. As social media is becoming so indispensable to different aspects of lives, it correspondingly demands more and more of our time and energy. Keeping this in mind, it may help for us to be more aware of how helpful our social media usage is in terms of time and energy.

Some questions that may be helpful when evaluating how you use social media are:

What prompts me to use social media in different situations? (For instance, when looking for specific information, more out of habit, boredom, or to intentionally keep in touch with friends or family).
When do I most use social media? (It may help to think over situations when you are most tempted to access these sites/apps. For example, during meals, when travelling, during breaks at work, etc.)
How do I feel after I have used social media? This question is helpful for you to evaluate whether the time you spend on social media is a positive influence on you or not (For instance – relaxed, mentally stimulated, guilty for having wasted too much time).
Are there particular sites/pages that leave me more motivated than others? What about these sites/pages leaves me feeling this way?

After reflecting on these points, you may have some clarity on what prompts you to use social media, when this happens the most, and how helpful it is to you.

A few suggestions that may help you build on this learning are:

Identify the apps/websites that meet your needs (for information, entertainment, etc.) and limit your usage of social media to these, as opposed to registering on multiple sites/apps and being overwhelmed or easily distracted by notifications from them all.
Use your knowledge of how a particular app or page on an app influences you to plan when you use a particular type of social media. For instance, if you have the tendency to lose track of time on Facebook, try and use the site when you have large amounts of free time, such as a half an hour lunch break and not during a five-minute work break.
You could also access pages on social media apps or profiles that inspire or motivate you during smaller intervals when you need a break and may be feeling tired or overworked.
For the apps or sites that you have identified are more to break boredom, or tend to negatively influence you, try and schedule in other activities that you could do in that time instead. For instance, going for a quick walk around your office or neighbourhood when bored instead of checking social media.

These are a few suggestions on how you can become more aware of how your usage of social media influences you. If you would like to work on this further, you could consider connecting with a counsellor. To do this, click here.

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.

https://member.1to1help.net/articles/Setting-Boundaries-on-Social-Media/NjYy

https://member.1to1help.net/articles/Dealing-With-Virtual-Fatigue/MTAwMA==

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/07/30/5-ways-to-overcome-online-social-media-fatigue-for-mental-well-being/?sh=58e63b221cfa

https://nyctherapy.com/therapists-nyc-blog/social-media-anxiety-how-to-understand-and-deal-with-social-media-anxiety/

https://oasiseducation.com/wellbeing-strategies-for-social-media-fatigue/

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