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Building Relationships: How to make time to take care of yourself
Family life can be busy, making it difficult to find time for yourself. But self-care is important for the wellbeing of yourself and your family.
As a parent, sometimes it’s easy to focus exclusively on your children, forgetting to look after yourself. But staying healthy and happy benefits you and your family.
If you’re tired, unwell and stressed, it becomes harder to care for your children. Family life can be hectic, but carving out some time for yourself, even if it’s just half an hour, will leave you with more energy for your loved ones.
Self-care is not just physical, but also mental. Take a look at some of the following suggestions for maintaining an overall sense of wellbeing, and find something that suits you and your lifestyle.
Get some sleep
Let’s start with the obvious one – getting a regular night’s sleep. Sounds easy, but it’s often one of the hardest things to achieve. Even if you manage to go to bed early, it can be tough to turn off your brain if a million thoughts are going around your head.
A regular date with yourself
Before you decide on an activity that suits you, try to sort out the practicalities. Booking a regular time slot into the family diary on a daily or weekly basis, will set expectations for yourself and your loved ones.
Exercise
Even if it’s just kicking a footy around with your child, aim for about 30 mins of exercise a day. You can also try jogging, walking, bike riding, swimming or joining a regular exercise class.
Movies and music
Going to the movies, either by yourself or with a friend, is a great way to take your mind elsewhere and forget your problems for a little while.
Likewise, putting in some headphones and listening to music is good for relaxation. You could combine listening to your favourite tunes with walking or jogging.
Friends
Schedule a regular catch up with friends – it could be a meal, an exercise class, a coffee or even a phone call. Talking to your friends about the challenges you face will help you feel less isolated.
Help is here
Sometimes things can get a little overwhelming, but help is available. Modern technology means that support is only a phone call, Skype chat, text message or app download away. There are multiple avenues for accessing services that meet your individual needs and lives.
CatholicCare offers a range of these services to assist families and individuals. You can get help through counselling, parent education groups or our phone service, Parent Line NSW. For more information click here.
Sources:
Penguin: Yin Yoga positions for better sleep
Headspace
For more parenting tips click here.
The Schools Parenting Resource is put together by our family specialists who work with families across Sydney everyday. If you would like to know more about this topic, please fill in our 'Contact Us' form and we'll get in touch.
Disclaimer: This article does not give professional advice. The contents constitute general information of a summary nature of interest and relevance at the time of publication. You should not rely on the contents as professional advice but should seek, formal advice in particular matters relevant to your particular situation.
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