5 Self-care tips for stay at home parents

17th Feb 2022

5 Self –care tips for stay at home parents:
Being a stay-at-home parent cultivates default guilt of not being able to contribute financially to the family; what follows is a pattern, a pattern where the stay-at-home parent always places the spouse, family, home, and its chores above their own choices & priorities. This eventually leads to poor emotional as well as mental health. “Grow through what you go through” is something I live by, hence sharing my two cents of knowledge thinking it helps at least one of you.

ASK FOR HELP WHENEVER REQUIRED:
Yes, you are a stay-at-home parent, however, all the chores in the house are not solely your responsibility. This concept has to be imbibed in you first and then made clearly understood to all the family members. It is important to have a good and clear connection with family, which proves to be the foundation of a happy family. Boundaries are necessary, good if they are set healthily. Even better if set at the very start, because once expectations are set, then boundaries seem to be a disappointment.

PERFECTION IS A MYTH:
Yes! Perfection is a myth, let’s face it! The pictures and videos on social media that influencers post might be deceiving, but it is impossible to strive for perfection practically in real life. The basic reason for this is, the definition of perfection is not the same for everyone. What looks perfect to one is not necessarily perfect for the other. It is difficult to keep juggling between chores, family, kids, and everyone’s demands. Especially when you try to be perfect for everyone else, you might end up disappointing yourself. The guilt of not being enough creeps in. To keep this guilt at bay, learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, get over little things to focus on the bigger picture.

MOVE, YOU ARE NOT A TREE:
Take a brisk walk, stretch your arms and body, go for a jog, have a quick dance session with a little one, enjoy the morning sun with your cup of coffee; these are simple things but they have a long-lasting impact on the daily schedule and overall life. A little physical movement is a proven way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. It enhances mood and leaves a feel-good atmosphere around. Having heard from most parents that they cannot exercise post-kids is common. I understand taking out time to do regular set exercise is difficult for a stay-at-home parent, however, small activities like the few mentioned above are simple and can be easily done.

NEVER GIVE UP ON HOBBY, BECAUSE HOBBY = QUALITY TIME WITH YOURSELF:
Yes, I am busy,
Probably not the way you perceive it to be.
I was busy learning an art form,
I was busy working on a literary piece,
I was busy setting up my garden,
I was busy working out,
I was busy sleeping.
Yes, these all are valid reasons to be busy, nothing to be shy of.
Your hobbies provide you the liberty of spending quality time with yourself, without any question asked, demand, or complaint raised. The only thing you have to do is take out little time and dedicate it to your hobby rightfully.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, PHYSICALLY:
I being a stay-at-home parent know how taking care of myself took a back-seat after I embraced motherhood. There used to be a time when in the evening I would realize I did not comb my hair for the whole day. There have been occasions when I attended family functions without visiting the salon. And all of this only made me irritated and frustrated because I was not feeling good about myself. It is okay to feel to be updated to keep up with trends. It is absolutely fine to pamper yourself with a good head massage or spa. This is also a part of self–care. Do not do these things to seek external validation, do it because it makes you happy and it makes you feel good. A parent chooses to stay at home to better care of family and kids, however, you can never pour out of an empty cup. You need to keep refilling it from time to time. You can pour care and love only you have it in abundance.