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Did you know that an average person has about 5 hours of free time every day? As a parent, it sure doesn’t feel that way. Most parents feel as though they never have any time to indulge in their favorite activities.
Some don’t even have a chance to take a small 5-minute break, which can trigger Guilty Parent Syndrome.
With COVID still looming around us, you must find ways to make time for yourself as a parent. Otherwise, the stress and anxiety will start to cause more problems in your life.
Listed down below are all of the best parenting self-care strategies that’ll give you far more free time to relax and enjoy yourself!
It’s possible that, before your children, you had a hundred different hobbies that you loved. As a parent, it’s difficult to keep up with hobbies because a child could demand your attention at any moment.
One of the best bits of parenting advice is to find new hobbies that work better with your schedule. We all need activities that don’t include our children, and hobbies are a great way to achieve that.
By finding flexible hobbies, you’ll have a much easier time juggling your responsibilities as a parent and your responsibilities to yourself.
Reading, for instance, is the perfect flexible hobby. It lets you take a mental vacation but it’s easy to put down when necessary. Plus, reading lets you learn new things so don’t forget to check out some of the best parenting books on the market!
How often have you dedicated your limited free time to scrubbing the counters or vacuuming the floor? A clean home is vital to a happy family but sometimes we go overboard as parents.
If you find yourself spending all of your free time cleaning the house, it’s a good idea to take a step back and re-evaluate your cleaning priorities. Most of the time, carpet shampooing can wait until you’ve had a break.
If your children are old enough, get them involved in the chores as well. This teaches them valuable skills and it also helps you have a cleaner house with less work.
Parents tend to go to bed at the same time as their kids. The problem with this is that the few hours of calm after you’ve tucked the kids in their beds is the perfect time to do whatever you want.
Play a game, watch a movie, call up your best friend, or even have a glass of wine. Give yourself an hour or two of time away from the kids while they sleep. It’ll be a great way to end the day and will help you feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the next day.
If staying up isn’t possible, set your alarm an hour or two earlier so that you can still have that alone time while the kids remain asleep.
In this day and age, many kids spend too much time behind a screen. To help break this habit, it’s good to encourage your kids to go outside and play as much as possible. This gets them physically active and it gives you a break by getting them out of the house for a little bit.
This is the perfect time to get in some gardening since you’ll be able to keep an eye on them at the same time. Otherwise, stay inside and enjoy the well-deserved quiet.
Don’t forget to join your kids for an outside game once in a while. It’s a lot of fun and it promotes bonding between the whole family!
Sometimes it’s impossible to find time without the kids around to take up all of your attention. That’s why playdates are a good way to give your children a distraction and it gives you time out of the house.
Playdates allow you to socialize and break up the monotony of your regular schedule. Plus, it’s an opportunity to discuss parent mentoring with other adults who go through the same things you do every day.
If you find that you need parenting help for a night, there’s always the option of hiring a babysitter. It’s difficult to leave our children behind to have a night out by ourselves, but it’s also an important way to destress.
Everyone deserves a mini-vacation and you work hard to provide and care for your family. Don’t be afraid to splurge a little!
Go see a movie or go to a fancy restaurant. Visit a dance club or meet up with your friends. Do something fun and impulsive.
Have your phone nearby in case of emergencies, but otherwise, try not to check it every few seconds. Instead, focus on enjoying your time out on the town without a grumpy child pulling you in a million directions.
Depending on how young your children are, it’s vital to start teaching them how to be independent. Teach them how to dress without help or how to brush their teeth alone every night.
Start with small tasks and then progress into more intricate tasks as your children grow older and more capable.
By teaching independent skills early on in their life, your children learn how to tackle many things on their own as they head off for their future. It also gives you more time to yourself since your kids know how to do many things on their own and won’t ask you to do everything for them!
Parenting is never an easy thing and it requires a lot of time and effort. However, it’s important to make time for yourself so that you don’t burn out and take it out on your kids.
Even one break inside of your busy schedule is enough to make a big difference in your mental well-being. This not only makes you a better parent but it makes you and your family happier, too!
To advance your skills as a parent even further, make sure to check out our parenting classes.
Parent self-care is a vital part of any parenting journey, but it can be hard to find the time or energy to take care of ourselves.
In this article, we’ve outlined the ways that you can make parent self-care a priority in your life. It’s an important step to being the best parent you can be.
Sue Donnellan is a parenting coach who supports parents of kids ages 2 to 20, specializing in turning chaos into calm through proactive communication strategies. A mom of four (including triplets), military wife, entrepreneur, and author, Sue’s approach combines Montessori principles with proven methods to help families stop yelling, start listening, and create a thriving home environment.
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