There are many amazing benefits to bringing wonderful children into your family. For one, you have unquestionable purpose from the first day onward. It’s quite hard to beat that, especially because some people don’t really find themselves until they become parents. However, with all the love, great memories, bountiful family joy and all that we hope for, it’s true parenthood comes with a few costs. Sleep, for one, is the most obvious, though this does balance out after about six or seven years (we know).
Another one is relaxation and free time. That’s not to say that your child will always be bouncing around your legs no matter what, but you will have a great deal of your time taken up by them. That’s okay, because bonding and quality time with your child is usually all you want anyway.
That being said, just as people, we all need to relax from time to time. Even if that means ten minutes of unbroken sofa time while you read a book or just zone out looking at the ceiling. But after a long day, you’ll notice that if you don’t make at least a fairly consistent habit out of it, you could struggle to unwind as a parent. How do you overcome that, though? In this post, we’ll discuss some methods that might help:
Comforting Supplements
Your mind might still be racing from the day’s chaos long after the kids are finally asleep, which is where some parents find that natural remedies can help your body catch up with what it needs to do. Herbal supplements like chamomile tea or magnesium have helped plenty of parents find a peaceful feeling that seems impossible when you’re constantly listening for footsteps or crying from upstairs. Just be sure to experiment and find what works for you and stick with it so your body starts recognizing these signals that it’s time to relax. Some prefer to just enjoy natural essential oils in a diffuser, or perhaps even their medical card provided they use it safely and far away from the children.
A Pre-Bed Ritual
Doing the same calming activities in the same order each night tells your brain that parent duty is officially over and you can stop thinking about tomorrow’s packed lunches or permission slips you forgot to sign.
For you, maybe that’s a hot shower where nobody bangs on the door asking for snacks, or fifteen minutes of reading something that has nothing to do with children or responsibilities. The specific activities matter less than doing them consistently so your mind learns to switch from handling everyone else’s needs to focusing on your own for a little while.
A Private Space
You need somewhere in your house that belongs just to you, where you can sit for ten minutes and remember who you are outside of being someone’s parent. Sure that’s the most important thing in your life, but it’s okay to have a two-minute break when you know everyone is accounted for.
An example could be a chair in your bedroom or a corner of the living room after everyone goes to bed, just somewhere you can exist in quiet and let your thoughts settle. Parents who have a little retreat like that say they feel more patient with their families because they have a place to recharge when dealing with constant questions and demands starts wearing them down.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily unwind even as a parent.
