Why Parent Self-Care?
Why it’s so important for parents to take good care of themselves
A recent survey demonstrates what we all know; parenting is more than a full-time job. This survey found that mothers worked about 98 hours per week, which is the equivalent to working 2.5 full-time jobs. When I think of self-care I think of the idea of putting on your oxygen mask before you help your child. It’s important for you, but it’s equally important for the other members of your family. If your self-care is strong you will be able to use parenting tools and techniques that match your values. If your self-care is solid you will enjoy time with your children more. If your self-care is consistent it builds resilience and a buffer to help you survive the inevitable challenges and stresses that comes with parenting.
But, what is self-care really? I’m a Marriage and Family Therapist, and I first heard about self-care during graduate school over ten years ago. In our field, we have to take good care of ourselves, otherwise we might put our clients at risk. Thankfully, self-care and wellness are now in the mainstream zeitgeist and it’s not just something people in the helping professions (e.g. mental health, nursing, teaching) are discussing. However, there is a significant amount of misinformation out there about self-care.
I work in school-based mental health as a Wellness Coordinator. A big part of the role is supporting parents and educators in creating healthy self-care habits because we know the better adults are taking care of themselves, the healthier kids are at home and school.
Self-care is different for everyone; however, self-care is more than a trip to Hawaii or a one-time massage. Self-care is about creating small, but realistic changes in our everyday lives.
Below are nine self-care categories that might get you thinking about what self-care means to you.
Emotional
Physical
Social
Spiritual
Occupational
Intellectual
Cultural
Environmental
Financial
Where can you start? To get an idea of your self-care baseline, fill out the Self Care and Lifestyle Balance Inventory. Happy exploring to you on your self-care journey, and more to come next time about the different categories of self-care!
