Parenting can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. However, it is also probably the most exhausting. Parenting is a job that has no start or end time teach day. You are on the clock 24/7. Going to work and coming home to care for children is draining at times. We build routines, and things go smoothly more often than not in most cases. However, being “on” all day, every day, takes its toll on even the strongest individuals. One frequently used analogy is that airlines instruct adults to put on their own oxygen mask before helping children or anyone who is struggling. The same is true with parents. If you cannot help yourself and you overextend yourself, you will be of no help to your family. Taking care of yourself should be a priority. Here are some ways that self-care helps parents.
Improves Health / Well-Being
When you are burnt out, you begin to damage your health. The physical and mental health woes that come from stress have been documented for years. Blood pressure, muscle pains, and migraines or headaches are common issues related to stress. As a parent, if you cannot function, you aren’t doing anyone any good. Taking a little time to care for yourself or decompress can lower your blood pressure and minimize the aches and pains related to stress.
Improves Parent / Child Relationships
When parents are exhausted or overextended, they tend to be crankier and less open to the ups and downs the children have. Children are naturally a bit rambunctious at times. When parents are burnt out, they cannot tolerate typical child behaviors. However, when they are well-rested and have some self-care time, hearing the Minecraft story for the 400th time isn’t as annoying to them. This isn’t to say that children are annoying in general, but the more stressed we feel, the more that small things get to us.
Improves Efficiency
When you feel well-rested, you are more able to complete your daily tasks. Think about how hard cooking dinner feels when you are tired after a long day of work and picking up children from school or daycare. Even if your children don’t go to school and you are a stay-at-home mom, the daily chores and tasks can be too much by five or six in the evening. On the other hand, feeling relaxed and in control makes it much easier to cope with the day’s mundane tasks. Even if you like cooking dinner, it can be difficult to keep up with daily tasks.
How Do I Practice Self-Care?
A day at the spa sounds luxurious and often is, but it can also be costly. Here are a few free and paid ways to practice self-care.
Reading
Reading may not sound like self-care, but if you are an avid reader and feel like every time you sit down, your daughter or son asks for help with homework, your partner asks a question about bills, and the doorbell rings, you probably feel like you don’t actually get a moment to read. Plan time in the day for uninterrupted reading time. The Eugene Public Library even has an online book club. They are currently reading Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. If you live in another city, check out the activities at those libraries as well. It’s free and can help you relax.
Spa Days
Don’t underestimate spending time at the spa. While it can be costly, can you put a price on your mental health and relationship? Though you shouldn’t overspend the family’s money, this can be a great thing to save up for. Save a little each week for a great spa day once in a while. Elements by the Sea Spa at Cannon Beach has some fantastic spa treatments at affordable rates. Massages start at $105 for a fifty-minute session. If massage isn’t your thing, they offer other treatments as well. Check out this or other local spas for some relaxing activities.
Exercise
Another way to get some self-care time without breaking the bank is to get outside and exercise. Walking with friends, taking up running or biking, or learning yoga in the park are fabulous ways to get the body moving and stretch those tired muscles. Time outside is wonderful for mental health. Remember, get your doctor’s approval before starting an exercise regimen, but for most adults, a leisurely walk each day is generally approved. Pushing a stroller can help with this exercise and provide more “strength” training, but it is important to get some time without children to do this. Enlist the company of a friend and follow up with a great cup of coffee or tea to get some adult time.
Final Thoughts
These are certainly not the only things you can do to get a little self-care in your life, but they are provided to generate ideas. Be sure that if you have a partner, you both get time for self-care. It’s important whether both partners work or if one is a stay-at-home parent. Support each other in any way possible. You might not have the same idea of self-care, so you should support their choices as they should yours. Self-care is childcare.
