The Art of Prioritizing Yourself Without Feeling Guilt as a Parent

Embracing parenthood is akin to packing your entire life into a single suitcase filled with emotions, growth, and many selfless acts. One of the hardest concepts to tackle as parents, however, is the idea of self-care. In a scenario where children are solely dependent on you, showing yourself any form of care may feel impossible in nature. This is exactly what makes understanding the concept of self-care vital, as it ensures not only you but also your family is covered for and well taken care of.

The First Step to Understanding Self-Care

Many parents convince themselves that providing for their children means sacrificing 100% of their physical to self-care to their utmost capabilities. In the end, what parents fail to understand is that in situations where they do not take care of their bodies and self-care, they are unable to be productive members of the family. So, to reiterate the importance of self-care, children learn from their parents and set the groundwork of how their self-care routine works based on what they were shown as children.

Understanding The Concept of Self-Guilt

While the idea of self-care is vital, the strongest barrier is guilt. When there is set time aside for you to spend alone without any interruptions, it feels as if you are letting your family down. This feeling emerges due to either the expectations parents set for themselves or the societal pressure.

Prompt: Skeptical of such ideas, there is a need to re-evaluate self-care as an investment that can improve your parenting skills.

Ways to Practice Self-Care

At no point is it suggested that one abandon their responsibilities; all that is needed is a bit of planning. Here is a list of simple actions that will enable you to put yourself first.

1. Have Some "Me Time"
Block certain portions of your day and dedicate them to self-care. For some, this could range from a short walk alone to a class or getting 15 minutes to drink tea in peace.

2. Define Self-Care
Teach yourself to decline plans and promises that will take away your energy. Having planned time for self-care will enable you to accomplish tasks that actually matter.

3. Speak With Your Family
Assist your family in understanding the necessity of self-care. Help them comprehend how it enables you to improve as a partner or parent. This information will go a long way in obtaining their endorsement.

4. Search For A Support System
Be it a friend, co-parent, or even a paid babysitter, always rely on those around you to help carve out the time necessary for self-care.

5. Take Baby Steps
There is no need to change everything in your life at once. Set aside a few minutes of your day to do an activity you enjoy, and gradually increase these allocations.

Inevitably when you begin to go out of your way to practice self-care, you will witness a positive change in your family relationships.

The virtues of patience, emotional availability, and being ‘present’ increase with a well-rested and fulfilled parent, and most importantly, your children will at least learn that self-care is important and healthy.

Parenting is more of a marathon than a sprint. One needs to take care of oneself to maintain one’s joy and energy over the long run. You are not ‘just a parent’. You are a person with aspirations, a life outside of caregiving needs, and dreams. You are creating a world-class family environment and helping yourself, so by putting yourself at the top of the priority list, you are improving your own well-being. There is no reason why you should feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Your family deserves a well-rested version of you.

How do you find this?

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for reading

XOXO

ZARRAH

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#parenting

#lifestyle