Do you beat yourself up for being a bad parent? There’s an alternative. Recent research suggests self-compassion may be a resource for resiliency. Explore these three small acts of kindness to build compassion for yourself.
When Self-Care Seems Like Another Thing on Your To-Do List
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one tough job
Often parents hear self-care and see another thing to add to their growing to-do list. Just the thought of finding time and squeezing an additional thing in may bring on stress. Between work, school pick-ups/drop-offs, dinner and all the other things you have on your plate, sometimes self-care can feel like it’s not worth the time.
Self-care looks a bit different with a family.
The benefits of self-care are worth the time it takes to plan or to take a moment for yourself. Your children will always look to you first and watch how you treat yourself. The way you love yourself sets up an early foundation for the way they will practice self-love as they get older.
Self-care looks a bit different with a family. Weekly manicures might be traded in for a quiet dinner to catch up with old friends. A fancy night out is swapped for dancing in the kitchen with your child or even taking a cooking lesson with your little one. When it comes to self-care, there is no one size fits all.
Here’s a quick list of three things you can do right now to relieve some stress:
- Look outside a window (seriously!). Taking five minutes to do nothing but stare outside a window can give you the time and space to clear your mind and focus on something other than what’s in front of us.
- Write it out. Take five minutes and write down all your worries in a journal. Doing this may help you pinpoint exactly what has you so stressed out and can make your worries seem a little less intimidating and easier to tackle.
- Talk to someone you love. On days where it feels like nothing is going right sometimes all we need is a phone call with someone who gets us.
There are ways to make self-care easy, digestible and turn it into a seamless part of your routine, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. Regardless of what self-care looks like to everyone else, all that matters is that you are finding little joys in your everyday life and taking the time for yourself that you so deserve, and you can’t fail at that. Share your quick self-care strategies with us and other parents in the community.
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