Taking Care Of Yourself
Self-care is for everyone. The saying is that you can’t pour from an empty cup, and often dads keep going until they can go no more. The physical and mental exhaustion can suddenly hit you, and that is when you realise that you haven’t been taking care of yourself well.
“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.”
Homework, school meetings, after school clubs, cooking, cleaning and work. They are something that all parents deal with. Being a devoted dad often means you forget to devote time to yourself and what you need.
Mental and physical health is something that needs to be nurtured and maintained. Respect for your mind, body and emotions go hand in hand with self-care. You need time to recharge and rejuvenate. Here are some times on how to make the most of it.
Ditch Social Media
If you find yourself scrolling through endless Twitter and Facebook feeds, but not contributing to the conversation, or just losing hours, it might be time for a social media outreach detox. The hours that we spend looking at other peoples lives can be the time that detracts from what we wanted to do in the real world.
While there is much to be said for being able to communicate digitally with friends and family, time spent in reality is better.
See how much time you are spending on social media and ask yourself, is there something you’d rather be doing?
Positive Mindset
This might be pretty tricky from time to time. But leaning into being positive can have a big impact on how you view everything. Being a parent can be testing and difficult, and when the day hasn’t gone well, it can be easy to feel deflated. However, there is always a positive spin to be found.
It can be the case that other people say well-meaning but negative things often. Like - forget sleep when the baby arrives! Or - toddlers are a nightmare, they destroy everything.
And while the truth is you might be tired, and toddlers can be testing it isn’t the end of the world. Those phases will pass, and in most cases can be enjoyed with the right mindset.
Gratitude is a big deal when it comes to keeping yourself in a positive mindset.
Health
As parents, one thing many of us do without meaning to is let our own health fall by the wayside. We become preoccupied with the health of our children. Making sure they are on time for vaccines, check-ups, and so much more. But your health matters more than ever now. It is important that you no longer put off those appointments to the doctors, dentists and opticians. If you are looking for a reputable dentist, do check out dentists in Chattanooga available to address your dental needs.
From that pesky shoulder that has been driving you mad for weeks to finding out the recovery time for a vasectomy for when you are ready, it is time to take care of it.
Your health should be a priority, after all, you need to be well to be able to take care of your family to the best of your ability.
Time For You
Many parents wish that they had a little bit more time to themselves. However, when the children are little, it can often be the case that it is almost impossible to get real-time to yourself until you make some changes.
But what about making your day longer in order to have some of that much-coveted time to yourself or time to sit with your partner that doesn’t involve staying up later instead?
Instead, tack those extra minutes on to your morning. Mornings are generally quieter, and this means you can start your day in peace before the bedlam of breakfasts and the school run happens.
Mental Health Check-in
This might be one of the most important areas for you to keep an eye on. Often it isn’t until we haven’t felt ‘okay’ for some time that we realise. Ask yourself how you’ve been feeling lately. Have you been feeling low, or pretty even? Have you had the motivation to get things done or felt like you’d rather leave things to fall by the wayside?
Your mind needs time to recharge too. But sometimes there is more to it, and it is time to seek some professional guidance.
Physical Care
People underestimate just how good a walk in the fresh air is for them. However, if you can work up to it, many people get a lot of benefit from taking a jog, or a full gym session, there is even more benefit.
Aside from weight maintenance, gyms are a great space to switch off and reach some targets. If you want to include the kids in this, then book in a long nature walk once a week, and get everyone involved in enjoying some physical activity.
Eat For Energy
While the occasional take out or fast-food style meal isn’t terrible, your diet has a huge impact on how you feel, and how much energy you have. If you are eating a lot of processed foods, and washing it down with sugary fizzy drinks you won’t have the energy to do the things you want. Balance is key though, eating carrots all week is great, but you shouldn’t feel like you are depriving yourself of the things that you truly enjoy.
Time
It is important that you give yourself time to make changes. If you try to get a gym routine, cut carbs, wake up an hour early and fit a 2-hour walk in every week, you’re stretching yourself. Choose one area at a time to tackle in order to find what makes you feel great.
Taking care of yourself is about finding the things that make you feel topped up and content. It might not be all day, but there should be something in each day that gives you a top-up. Hobbies are proven to increase happiness, better quality sleep and to have some time in the great outdoors is a great place to start building up your self-care routine.